


The Devil in Disguise

by 0WritersBlock0



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/F, F/M, I’ll update the tags as I go, M/M, Multi, cool thanks, first PJO fanfic ever, goddamn I am old, more characters to be added as time goes on, there will be violence and stuff, well I hope you guys enjoy this, which sounds dumb bc I started this PJO journey almost 10 years ago
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-07 02:31:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 222,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21450457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0WritersBlock0/pseuds/0WritersBlock0
Summary: Apollo has kids fairly often. Most of them have amazing voices and are the best at archery. Some have extraordinary talent for healing and precognition. That's the general trend. But when a new daughter of Apollo joins Cabin 7, that trend is broken. She has none of the above. Is she a hero? Maybe. Did she want to be? Definitely not. But will she try and do what's right? Absolutely.
Comments: 21
Kudos: 28





	1. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood

"Again? But darling, I've told you that story the last four nights!" Amma exclaimed. I only pouted.

"And whose fault is that? You left for two weeks without even telling me in person and Smrithi Aunty had to cook me food! _Smrithi Aunty!_ She can't even boil an egg, much less cook actual food." I huffed and puffed and blew air up towards my forehead because my hair kept falling in my eyes. Amma was probably right in that aspect. Bangs aren't a great idea when you don't like having things touch your face or forehead.

A pat of admonishment landed on my cheek, and I whined, rubbing said cheek. Amma huffed and rolled her eyes. "I know you don't like her food, but that's no excuse to be mean, dear. And I'm sorry." When she sighed, her body slumped with eternal exhaustion. Normally bright and peppy honey eyes dimmed.

As I saw my mother seem to melt down from her tiredness, guilt swelled in my heart. I never wanted to hurt her or make her upset. That was not what I wanted to do.

I threw my arms around her neck and kissed her cheeks repeatedly in my naïve attempt to make her feel better. "Sorry, Amma. I'm sorry. Don't feel bad. I know you're doing a lot of stuff. I won't complain anymore. Just don't be sad anymore, okay?"

She fell into me and held me tighter, pulling me right into her lap. I was a big nine year old, but she didn't seem to mind.

This person, this woman from a small town in Kerala who traveled thousands of miles to raise me in America so I would face fewer issues in India because of my illegitimate birth out of marriage, collapsed in my arms as if she had given up on life itself.

She pulled herself away for a moment and rubbed away the tears on her cheeks. Amma was never ashamed to cry around me, but she always wiped her tears away. When I asked why she did that, she told me it was because she wanted me to learn that even if I cry, I should always wipe away my tears and keep going rather than give up.

I can see it even now. I don't know how I didn't realize it until then, but Amma was crumbling away. Her eyes had lost their glow. Her skin appeared gray under the weak lights of my bedroom. Her smile didn't even reach above her lips, and her hair seemed like it would break away at any moment.

But a pause and a second later, I observed the strength of a million soldiers slowly grow in her face, and she seemed to morph into a completely different person. Her skin seemed warmer. Her eyes seemed brighter. Her smile reached her entire face. She looked like I just gave her the elixir to eternal youth.

"You don't need to apologize for complaining, sweetie. Only ever apologize for not doing the right thing, okay?" She beamed and kissed my forehead, stroking a hand through my hair. "You are perfect as you are." She cooed and held my face to her chest, rocking us back and forth. "My baby is perfect."

I smiled into her neck and cuddled right up against her, giggling softly. "You know who else is perfect?" Amma pulled back and gave me a look of fascination, eyes wide.

"Who?"

I booped her nose, still giggling, and squeaked out, "You!"

She laughed and squeezed me in a tight embrace before settling me back into bed. She peppered my face with kisses and gave me a soft grin, stroking my face.

"Sleep well, Sun Drop," she crooned. I hummed at hearing my favorite nickname from her and curled into my comforter more closely, my body resembling a ball of fleece pajamas and cotton blankets.

My eyes had already shut and brought me into deep sleep by the time the light switch was flipped down.

Even though I didn't get my story, I didn't mind. I was still really happy. Amma was smiling and sunny again. That was all I wanted. That's the only reason I even asked for that story. Remembering how she met my dad and telling me about him made her so joyful, and I wanted to keep that happening as long as possible.

* * *

Back to present day.

I was fourteen when my mother kicked me out and told me to go to some weird place for the summer when some random dude came to our house.

That day had gone so strangely. I returned ecstatically from the last day of school, hoping to celebrate the beginning of summer with my mom. We planned to go out for dinner that day and watch a movie before coming back and packing. We would leave for India the next day because Mom wanted to visit the people in her family that didn't hate her.

But when I came home, my mother greeted me with a face full of terror and depression and deep concern. I couldn't understand why. I performed fairly well in school and never got in trouble, so there's no way it was due to a school issue. I didn't have any close friends, so it certainly wouldn't be due to an issue with a friend or their parent. I certainly was not involved in any illegal activity, so it would never be the police or the FBI or another government branch. I couldn't understand why my mother paced around our apartment wearing a look of unfettered anxiety and pain.

"Amma, can you please just tell me what's going on?! You've been walking around like that for twenty minutes!" I exclaimed, unable to bear the silence any longer. Her worrying made me worried, and the room choked in the fear filling us.

She took a very deep breath and sat down on the sofa beside me. "Anusha, do you remember the stories I told you of your father when you were little?"

My stomach churned, not enough to give me nausea, but enough to make me uncomfortable. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

She sighed and rubbed her face before taking my hands into her own. "My darling, your father was a very important man. He belonged to a family of great power and influence. They are not known and have rarely been seen, but they influence all aspects of our lives, without us even knowing. They often have affairs and such, so they have many illegitimate children. You are one of those children. Do not misunderstand me. Your father did love me, but he cannot stay with us. But, you should go and visit him. They allow their children to live together in a large space during the summer. That place will protect you from your father's enemies, and you will make many friends. You will be safe there."

"No."

She pulled back quickly before her features went soft, trembling hands reaching for my face to hold it gently. "No, darling. You must go. You are not safe with me."

I shook my head, standing my ground. "You're my mom. I've never even met the guy. He is not my dad. He's your former boyfriend. I have no relation to him beyond blood. I'm not gonna go see some deadbeat."

She sniffled and tried to explain herself more to me, trying to convince me to go. I kept refusing. I tried to be nice about it, but I just couldn't comprehend where this all came from and why she was telling me to go spend time with a stranger. "Why is this even coming up? Never once did you mention him after I turned twelve. Where is this coming from?"

Amma sighed, massaging her temples. "The place that those children stay during summer called me today. They want you to come visit. You were supposed to go at thirteen, but they gave an exception because I could protect you. I can't do that anymore, darling. Please understand."

Feeling guilty for stressing her out, I sighed and sat with her. "Protecting me from what? We don't have any bad guys attacking us." She gave me a pitying look, a sad smile flickering at the edges of dark lips.

"There are evils in this world that you can't see yet, _enre hrdayam_. I've been fighting those evils a long time to protect you, but I'm too weak now. They're far too strong and can quickly destroy me. But if you go to this place, both you and I will be protected."

I frowned. "Why would you be protected more? They hate us both, right?"

She shook her head, words like the sad murmurs of the morning breeze in summer. "No, darling. They only want to destroy you. They do not care about me beyond crushing me to get to you…"

I took some time to think and understand what was going on.

So for fourteen years, my mother has been protecting me from bad guys that want to kill me because my dad is this powerful guy that no one has seen except his lovers, of whom, my mom is one. But, they don't care about her. They only care about destroying me. And now, because she can't protect me anymore, she's sending me to some weird place where all of my half-siblings and I can meet and hang out and be safe. Safe to say, my reaction was appropriate. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

She laughed at my explosive words, but nodded. "I know. It is insane. It is illogical. But darling, that's just how our lives are. All those crazy incidents from your childhood were caused by those bad guys. The time a pillar almost crushed you when we went to the Parthenon in Atlanta? A few years later when you almost drowned in that giant lake because some giant creature kept pulling at your leg? Even the two times when the apartment caught on fire two years ago? That was them. All of those were your father's enemies. I saved you those times. But I can't anymore."

The apartment grew still, quiet, almost dead like midnight during winter. "Your mother is weak now, beloved. You have to go to this place. For your own safety. And for mine."

Rivers flowed down her cheeks, and I couldn't say anything, so I kept silent and hugged her. I wouldn't go, but I didn't want to endanger her with my presence. And then the real guilt set in, and I almost had a mental breakdown, which I held off until she was asleep that night.

For fourteen years, my mom kept me safe from the clutches of death. fourteen years, she's been fighting and stressing herself out and putting herself in harm's way so I could live. How ungrateful was I?

How could I take her for granted when she stared death in the face so many times for me? I felt sick.

I felt disgusted.

I felt like a curse on her life.

You wanna know why? Because it was true. I was a curse. I brought her danger and fear and death and sadness. I brought her all the terrible things in life when I should have been bringing her joy and love and sunshine and warmth. I was the defect in her otherwise perfect life.

I didn't even deserve her.

So, I cried myself to sleep, as all people do when they discover this kind of shit.

The next morning when I woke up, I decided I would ask her to drop me off at the place so we could spend at least some more time together. Maybe get lunch before I don't see her all summer.

But upon walking out of my room after getting ready, I saw my mother engaged in deep conversation with a random guy, whose mop of dark curly hair, bomber jacket, black skinny jeans, and rock band T-shirt informed me that he was an emo. I cleared my throat to get their attention when neither noticed I'd entered the room. The guy whipped his head to the side to look at me. He gave a dim, hesitant smile, as if he was unused to showing any kind of positive emotion.

"Anusha, right? Hi."

I frowned and looked at my mom, who averted her eyes and didn't look at me, but beckoned me into the room. "Come here, darling. I'm afraid we have to move faster than expected…you need to leave with this boy to the place I told you about yesterday. He says they cannot wait for me to drive down and drop you off. It is for our safety and well-being, _kanna_. Please."

I tried to look her in the face, but she kept turning away from me. Hot, angry tears rose in my eyes, and I turned on my heel to storm into my room and start packing whatever I needed into a backpack. I couldn't even think clearly about the necessities. I shoved the important stuff into my recently-emptied backpack and threw it over my shoulder before walking back out.

Tears fighting to slip down my cheeks blurred my vision until I blinked and released them. I stepped back out and glared at the ground, mumbling my helpless acceptance. "Let's just go."

Amma tried to reach for me, and I simply stood like a statue. I couldn't even reciprocate the hug until all the tears rushed out at once. She and I unleashed loud sobs into the living room, clinging to one another like each was an anchor. Crumbling to our knees, we held on as tightly as possible, blabbering and blubbering in Malayalam until we could relax and just move on, knowing there was nothing else to do.

She held me far too tightly before helping me up and bringing me to the door. Two more hugs, and the door in my face broke us apart for what felt like forever. Forever only lasted until the guy tried to comfort me about what had just transpired. His voice rang in my ears. "Come on. You'll see her again soon once you can protect yourself. Don't worry about it, okay? It'll be alright."

A hiccough and a sniffle later, I picked up my backpack and pulled it on, turning to the guy and nodding. "I'm ready," I could only bear to murmur. He smiled more gently and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, leading me down the stairs of my apartment building to the first floor. We entered a long white van that had some kind of logo about strawberries along the side.

I looked inside to see several others, mostly kids around age twelve or thirteen all sitting huddled together. They gazed at me with wide, terrified eyes.

The guy stretched out his hand, motioning for me to go inside. With one shaky breath, I slowly stepped in and sat down in the seat closest to the door. The guy hummed. "Guys, this is another of our new campers. There's one more person to be picked up, and then we're on our way, okay?" They bobbed their heads meekly and returned to their conversations.

Unable to deal with the overwhelming silence that followed his words, I quickly plugged in my earbuds and started listening to my most recent and unfinished audiobook.

The guy with the dark hair visibly sighed and closed the door. He then reentered the van in the passenger's seat, nodding at whoever was driving.

I kept my head down and continued listening to my book, trying to become a smaller shape in my seat to avoid the others' attention. Sure, they were just kids, but I was still nervous. I was terrified, honestly. I was in this strange van with these weird people, and my mom had just kicked me out. I needed some safety and familiarity.

I actually ended up falling asleep after about fifteen minutes. Of course, I didn't open up and get more comfortable. I stayed curled up, but I didn't wake up until the car stopped again. That is one of my few talents. I can fall asleep anywhere and everywhere, but only if I'm tired enough or if I'm emotionally comfortable in that place.

Once we stopped, my eyes shot open, and I was completely alert again, as if sleep had never even grazed my mind.

The van door opened and some girl with dark skin and black-gold ombre curls entered. I scooted over to make room for her, and she gave me a smile brighter than the sun. I smiled back hesitantly, and she held her hand out.

"Hi! I'm Naomi! Nice to meet you. What's your name?" she bumbled.

I stammered for a few seconds before finally mumbling out, "Uh, I'm Anusha. Nice to meet you too."

She gasped and giggled. "That's such a cute name! Where are you from?"

I bit my lip and tried to think of a way to ask her to talk later. Right now was not a good moment. But seeing no way out and not wanting to make her upset, I answered as quietly as I could. "I'm from Kerala, but I took the test to become a citizen of the US last year."

She tilted her head to the side and hummed in confusion. "Kerala," she sounded out. She said it a few times as if to curl her mouth around the word properly. "Where is that?"

"India. Like, it's the state along the southwest corner of India."

She beamed at me, her face far too bright for that time of morning. "That's awesome! Do you speak the Kerala language?" I smiled dimly.

"Yeah. It's called Malayalam," I explained.

Naomi blushed a little. "Can you say that a bit more slowly?"

I chuckled, but nodded. "Ma-la-ya-lum."

She pronounced it slowly, grinning once she got the hang of it. "That is seriously super cool. I was born here, but that's not that interesting. Do you know your godly parent?"

I coughed for a few seconds out of sheer shock. "I'm sorry, what?"

She blanched. "Wait, no one told you?! How did you survive this long?!"

I groaned and put my head in my hands. "Not so loud, please. Can you explain to me what is going on?"

She nodded and winced, rubbing her temples. "Yeah, sorry. Okay. All of these people, including you, me, and Nico and Miranda at the front are children of immortal beings called the Greek gods. They control all aspects of the world we live in. There are also Roman gods, who are the other halves of the Greek gods, Egyptian gods, and Norse gods. There may be others we haven't learned about yet. These are the ones that are confirmed. You are a child of one of the Greek gods. We don't know who it is, but they'll claim you soon once you get to the place we're going to, which is called Camp Half-Blood. It's a place for kids like you and me who have a Greek god and a human as our parents. There are similar places for the kids of the Roman, Egyptian, and Norse gods. You'll go to Camp to train and learn to fight the monsters we'll face as half-bloods because they hate us and want to kill us. Does that all make sense?"

I must have looked like a deer in headlights because the girl spoke more calmly and took my hands, rubbing my knuckles with calloused thumbs. I got lost in her eyes for a moment when I was staring at her. She gave me a strong smile. "You'll be okay. I know you're scared, but you'll figure it all out. And if you ever need help, just come to the Apollo cabin. I'll be there most of the time." I understood then why I thought she was some sort of heavenly being. She was the child of the sun god.

I could see it in her face. The gold tint in her dark skin, copper eyes warm and bright, hair like a gorgeous massive halo of black and brass. She looked like she could be the sun itself.

My head turned down and nodded. "Y-yeah. Sure. Um. Yeah."

The drive lasted several hours.

But Naomi and I spoke like we'd been friends forever. She really was so amazing. It was like meeting someone I befriended as a child and reconnecting with them years later. It felt like a miracle.

And then the van stopped.

Pure terror filled my heart. I couldn't even move my facial muscles. My hands still clung to my phone. My legs made no motion to stand once the doors opened. Naomi noticed my immobile state and put her hands on my face, bringing herself to my attention. With a sweet smile, she rested my hands in hers and pulled me out slowly. I stumbled at first, unable to keep my balance once on ground after four or five hours of driving. I looked around and tried to get a hold of my surroundings.

Trees stood tall and proud behind us. A gold wig-looking thing hung on a branch of the tallest tree. Strawberry fields far in the distance. A huge statue of some lady with a shield and a spear with a huge fancy helmet on her head towered over us like a heavenly guardian of sorts. Down below us, a huge amphitheater but in the old, Classical Age style with a campfire pit in the center of the ground. Right next to it stood a weird little area with all kinds of art materials and paper and more dangerous objects like metal and hammers.

I couldn't see past that because we weren't too high up, but that was as far as I wanted to look. Any more, and I would have become overwhelmed.

Naomi smiled and made me take a few steps forward to look out at the other areas of the huge space. Seriously, this so-called camp could be a country of its own. It was HUGE. She wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. We're happy to have you here."

I gave a queasy smile and looked away. "So uh. Where do we go now?"

She snickered. "First, we go to the showers. All of us need a good wash. And then we'll go down to the Big House, where the camp director, Chiron, will greet us. And after that, you guys will get settled in the Hermes cabin. They take in all the kids with unknown parentage."

"Okay." My last word before I went silent for the rest of the day. (This is a lie.)

The showers astounded and also slightly disgusted me. My mother raised me in a severely clean house. Meaning, I never enjoyed spending time in a space that displayed even the slightest hint of uncleanliness or disorder. Everything had its place, and everything had a role. Anything beyond that set me off into a fit of cleaning and reorganizing everything in sight.

But I didn't care. I didn't know any other way of living.

So when I saw the very communal, not hyper-clean state of the showers, I felt dread begin to coil into a massive boulder in my stomach. I already wanted to go back home and shower and then just snuggle into my perfect linen sheets.

But because I wanted to fit in and not look like a fool, I put aside my discomfort and disgust and showered for a speedy ten minutes. I dried off and dressed myself as quickly as I could, eager to resume the tour. In a record time of three minutes, I dried and dressed myself, ready to go as soon as I stepped outside. The others gave me odd looks (clearly my attempts to fit in failed), but I ignored them.

Naomi grinned, high-fiving me as soon as she saw me. "How did you get finished so soon?! It was such a long drive!"

My shoulders shrugged once or twice. "I'm just fast. Not with running, but with my routine." She laughed a little and stood beside me as we waited for the others to join us. "That's another question!" I looked at her. "How in the world did we get here so quickly?! It's almost a whole day from Chicago to New York, and probably a few extra hours to wherever this is!"

She grinned again, chuckling. "Magic. We can speed up our cars to pass traffic or make the traffic speed up or get lucky. The Hecate kids really hooked us up with this van. They added a bunch of cool features with the Hephaestus kids' help. We can now drive a distance that would take twenty-six hours to travel in just five hours."

I scratched the back of my neck. "Damn. That sounds amazing. What else can magic do?"

"Anything you want. Almost. But enough of that. The others are here. Let's go!"

(I did lie earlier, though. "Okay" was not my last word for the day. I like talking a lot.)

At her exclamation, I continued with the group. We made our way towards the cabins, which stood in the stifling afternoon sun in a large rectangular space not far from the showers.

The two older kids, the emo dude with the bomber jacket and the pretty girl brought us to a cabin that looked a bit run-down even though I think it may have had some recent renovations. On the door hung a caduceus, which is the staff with two intertwined snakes on it that is in the logo of most hospitals.

The emo dude spoke up, finally conversing with us after almost seven hours of silence. While he'd been kind and soft when bringing me along, he now enunciated every word with a kind of strength that demanded the attention of anyone within earshot. He spoke like he knew how to command armies, of which I had no doubt. But I think I was the only one startled by the power in his voice.

"Welcome everyone to Camp Half-Blood. My name is Nico di Angelo, and I am the son of Hades, god of the Underworld. I'm the counselor for Cabin Thirteen. This is a place for young demigods to learn about their godly parentage, train to fight all kinds of evils, and meet others just like them. You will come here every summer until you are eighteen or able to defend yourself and live in normal human society."

He paused to let his companion speak. The brunette with the emerald eyes and powerful stance smiled warmly at all of us. "Hello, everyone. My name is Miranda Gardiner, and I am the daughter of Demeter, goddess of nature and the harvest. I'm the counselor of Cabin Four, which houses children of Demeter. Back to the point. You all have one godly parent from the Greek Pantheon and one human parent. Most of you have met your human parent, I presume. Some may have not. But most likely, none of you have met your godly parent. The gods do not often speak with their children, but they've been trying to do that more. Until your godly parent recognizes you and claims you, though, you'll be here, in Cabin 11, the cabin of Hermes."

Nico continued. "Hermes is the god of travelers, messengers, and so much more. He and his children are jacks-of-all-trades. The policy is that you will remain here until your parent claims you, which should be soon. Some of you are older than thirteen, which is the age that the gods agreed to claim their children by. While you are not unwelcome here, you are an oddity nowadays. But do not worry. You will discover your parentage soon enough and will move into your proper cabins with your fellow godly siblings."

One brave soul stumbled through a question. "How will we be claimed?"

Miranda chuckled. "The symbol of your parent will pop up and glow above your head. For Percy Jackson, it was a trident. For children of Hermes, it will be a caduceus like the one that's on the door right here. For children of Apollo, it will be a sun. It depends on the parent."

We all nodded and looked at her strangely, still awaiting our next instructions. Nico stepped in to cut through the awkwardness. "Now that we've talked a little bit, everyone get settled wherever you can. We still have quite a few unclaimed campers from the previous pickup, so if there aren't enough beds and cots, try and make do by sleeping on the ground or beside someone else. We really apologize about that."

The small group of ten mumbled and nodded, trying to dismiss the apology as if not having a bed wasn't a big deal.

While I wasn't thrilled about having to sleep on the ground, I wasn't too upset. At least I could be alone for a little while and collect my thoughts. Naomi rolled her eyes and called Nico's name. "Forgetting someone, Death Boy?"

He grunted. "I am going to beat the shit out of Will tonight." I really pitied this Will guy, whoever he was. "Sorry, everyone. This is Naomi Matthews. She's the daughter of Apollo. She lives in Philadelphia, so we had to pick her up. She'll be driving with you guys whenever you go back home since Philly is on the way to Illinois."

Naomi giggled and waved cutely to Nico, bright eyes almost glowing in the sunlight. Well, obviously.

"Yep, that's right! And if you guys ever need anything from archery help to music lessons to first aid, you can always drop by Cabin Seven, and one of us would be happy to help you! If you can't find someone specific, you can ask our counselor, Will Solace, for help. He'll know where we are. Anyways, I hope you guys get settled in well. I gotta get back to my cabin and unpack. See you all at dinner!"

She faced me and beamed, giving me a hug way too strong for how slim she was, and patting my arms. "You'll be okay, Anusha. Again. Just drop by and ask for me. I'll help you out!" She waved to us all before sprinting away, leaving dust flying around her feet as she ran.

We turned back to Nico, searching for his approval or nod of acknowledgement for us to enter the cabin. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door, which opened to reveal a young man in his late teens who scratched at his mop of red hair and grinned cheekily at the son of Hades.

"Nico, buddy! I've been waiting for you to show up. More kids, yeah?"

Nico snorted and bobbed his head, pointing at us with his thumb. "Hey, Connor. About nine. Fit 'em where you can. The claims should start next week or so."

Connor sighed, rubbing his face as sunken blue eyes raked over us. "Alright. Okay. We've got about eight spaces. One's gonna have to sleep on the floor until we can order another cot. They can figure that out amongst themselves until I need to step in." He shook himself off and put on a joyful face, all big smiles and mirthful eyes.

"Hey, guys. My name's Connor Stoll. I'll be your counselor until you guys get claimed. Come on in and grab up the empty spaces. But like I just said, someone's gotta crash on the floor for a few nights until we can bring in another cot."

The nine of us huddled into the cabin, looking around at the very chaotic mess of décor and style that mostly consisted of various posters and trinkets centered around a theme of wanderlust, comedy, speed, and mystery. It was definitely a very lived-in space, but was very disorganized in a homey sort of way. Like the living room of a grandmother who used to street race in her prime but now can't seem to let go of the past, so she hoards her old possessions and nostalgic items as a way of coping with a changing world.

Connor stepped out of the cabin to talk to Nico and Miranda while we stood around the cabin awkwardly. Some of the bunk beds had been occupied, indicated by the recently-made beds and cute little wall decorations. Others were entirely empty.

I dared to speak first. "Who's fifteen or above?" No one spoke or raised their hands. Looking at their faces, I realized I was the only person old enough to even drive. In a moment of motherly concern, I decided aloud, "I'll sleep on the floor. You guys take the beds and cots. I'll be okay."

A young boy drowning in his locks of honey and gold asked in a heartbreakingly innocent tone, "But one of us can do it too. We're all new. Why don't you wanna take a bed?"

My body froze. I exhaled slowly and moved to face him. "Buddy, everyone here is a few years younger than me. If I, an able-bodied older teen can sleep on the ground and let you guys sleep on beds, I should. There is no reason you kids need to sleep on the ground when I can do that and let you all be comfortable. That's why. Now everyone just pick a spot. Get settled. Don't argue. There's still stuff to do, I think."

Exhausted from the journey, I sat down the jacket I laid on the ground closest to the empty wall beside the door. I then pulled off and set down my backpack, having carried that for the long walk from the car down to the showers and then this cabin.

Miranda reentered the cabin with Connor, both smiling at all of us with fatigue clear in their eyes. "Come on, guys. Let's get down to dinner. After that is the singalong at the amphitheater. We like campfires too, but we go way harder," joked the red-headed son of Hermes. The others bounded out of the door, clearly famished and excited for the events the near future held.

I, on the other hand, had no such inclination. Connor gave me an odd look, expecting me to stand and join the others. He even tipped his head towards the outside. I shook my head, speaking far more softly than I had all day. "Not today, Connor. I just wanna be alone. And don't worry about getting me food. Mom packed me some because she thought I would starve on the way here."

He sighed, calling to Miranda to go down to dinner and that he would need a few minutes. The lanky hero sat down beside me on the ground, pulling his knees up and resting his arms over them. "So. Why don't you wanna go?"

"Why do you think?"

Connor hummed, rubbing his hands together. "Well, maybe you're feeling sick?"

I smiled like a statue. "I feel fine."

He continued guessing. "You're scared of going out there and seeing all those people?"

"Kinda. But that's only part of it."

"You're secretly already in love with this cabin and never wanna leave it ever," he teased. I laughed quietly, shaking my head.

"It's a nice cabin, but that's not one of the reasons."

He hummed and nodded, leaning his head against the wall. "You areeee…trying to cope with this demigod stuff."

"That is definitely a big part of why. But not the whole thing." I breathed slowly, but shakily. "I'm not one of you. I'm not meant for this life. All I know is how to do okay in school, how to listen to my mom, and how to write. I don't know anything else, Connor. I can't do all the fancy magic stuff you guys do. I don't even want to. I just want to go back to my mom and be happy. But that's another thing. I'm fucking heartbroken. My mom said I was a danger to her my entire life. Not her intention, but that was what I understood. I don't know if I can ever come to terms with that, much less the entire idea of the presence of magic and gods in this world."

He nodded. "I know. I know how you feel. Everyone has that thought when they first get here. You probably were sheltered for most of your life. Not much to worry about in terms of issues with the law or school discipline. No fear of the world from seeing what you didn't understand. But now life is different, and you're having a hard time dealing with that."

I nodded, biting my lip. He was spot on. "Bingo."

Connor chuckled lowly, patting my shoulder. "I know. Look, there are people here who can and want to help you. Nico above all. He's the best of us. But I do too, and so do Miranda and Naomi. The people you've met so far want to help you thrive here. You can leave if you want, but know that it's far too dangerous. But really. We want to help. Just reach out, okay?" Sighing one more time, he stood and grinned down at me. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Just head down to the infirmary if you need anything. Will Solace is gonna be there taking care of injured campers. The rest of us will be down at the mess hall, but I don't want you getting lost on your first day, yeah? See ya!"

I waved as he stepped out of the cabin, leaving the lights on inside.

That was it. The last proper social interaction for the rest of the night until the others got back. I bided my time eating the veggie sandwich and chocolate-coconut cake my mother had packed me. I didn't feel that hungry, but the food comforted me a lot. The rest of the time, I listened to music while I read the one book I had brought with me.

The night really was uneventful. The others popped back in around nine-thirty that night, and Connor began listing off the cabin and camp rules to all of the newcomers, including me. One of the Hermes kids, a huge Latino guy with charcoal hair and oaky eyes handed me a blanket and a pillow, smiling sweetly. "We don't have much to spare, but hopefully we'll get that new mattress in soon. Chris, by the way."

I beamed, shaking hands with the kind stranger. "Thanks, Chris. I'm Anusha. And it's fine. I'm no stranger to sleeping on the ground."

He chuckled softly, shrugging his shoulders. "If you say so. Sleep well."

"You too, man. Goodnight." He went back to his bed and curled up, falling asleep in minutes. I rolled myself into a little ball and tried to get comfortable, sleeping on my jacket with my backpack between me and the wall, and the pillow under the upper half of my body. The blanket covered me up to my shoulders, but no further. It was a bit too short, but I gratefully accepted what I received. I had no right to complain.

My mind began wandering towards the state of my mother and how she was. Whether she missed me or not. Whether she was safe now that I was gone. I hoped she was. I began replaying the events of that morning and afternoon, trying to put it all together in a way that made sense. If I was gonna be there for the whole summer, I had to be mentally prepared. Which meant I had to adapt and get used to the place as quickly as possible.

As my thoughts continued down the path into the very deepest recesses of my mind, I fell asleep. My body and brain experienced far too much that day, and I needed some goddamn, well-deserved rest.

Unfortunately, I awoke just a few hours after midnight to the sound of soft whimpering and mumbling. Groaning and grumbling, I sat up in my makeshift bed, glaring down the source of the noises until I realized it was one of the new kids shifting and twisting in their bed. My heart panged with sympathy. The kid seemed to be experiencing a very disturbing nightmare. Unable to sit and watch as a kid almost four years my junior writhed fearfully on their bed, I stood and made my way towards them on sleep-weakened legs.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and rested a hand on the kid's shoulder, squeezing firmly enough to make the little boy yelp and shoot up quickly into a seated position. He gazed in fear at the source of the touch before relaxing upon seeing my face. It was the same kid who asked why I didn't want to take the bed.

Trying to not startle him by moving too quickly or speak too loudly, I kept my voice quiet and smooth. "Hey, buddy. You looked like you were having a really bad nightmare, so I just wanted to check on you. Is everything okay?"

Sniffling and beginning to cry, the boy shook his head, long blonde hair moving fluidly with the turns of his head. "No. I don't wanna go back to bed. The dream was too scary."

I sighed. "Oh, honey. You need sleep. Otherwise, you can't do all the fun things I'm sure Connor and Miranda promised for tomorrow."

He shook his head once again, still sniveling weakly. "No. I don't want to sleep. The monsters are gonna eat me in my sleep. They keep coming back every night, but my mom doesn't know how to help me, and these guys don't know why I'm having bad dreams. I wanna stay up."

Taking his hands slowly into mine, I smiled down at him. "Let me make you a deal. I'll stay right here and protect you from the sleep monsters with a very special song my mom sings to me when I'm scared. I'll stay until you're fast asleep. But in return, you gotta try to at least relax and close your eyes. Fair?"

Biting the inside of his cheek for a moment, he nodded. "Fair. Shake on it," he demanded quietly. Grinning, I shook his hand.

He scooted over on the bed to let me sit by him. I sat more comfortably, leaning back against the headboard. I reached down and stroked my fingers through his hair, beginning to sing my mom's lullaby very very softly. I didn't want to risk waking up any of the other newcomers or the actual Hermes kids.

After a minute of singing the three-minute song, the sweet little guy picked up his pillow and rested it on my thighs to rest his head in my lap. I was unable to hold back my smiles at the adorable show of affection and kept singing until I could see him grow drowsy. After a Malayalam lullaby or two that my mom taught me, he was fast asleep, arms curled around the pillow as the side of his young face smushed right into it.

Sentimental fool that I am, though, I couldn't bring myself to lift his head off my legs for another hour until I knew he was in deep sleep. I gently scooped my hands under his head and lifted him as carefully from me as possible, trying to create as little motion as possible when settling him back down. Eager to get some more sleep, I hurried back to my little corner and curled up under my blanket, falling asleep as soon as my head touched my pillow.

Morning arrived way too fast, and I woke up feeling like bullshit.

I mean, considering the previous day, that's a given, but still.

Connor got us up and on the ground at the ungodly hour of seven in the morning, laughing in our faces. He rounded up all the kids, almost twenty-five people in total, and ushered them towards the bathrooms. But as I was stepping out of the cabin, he stopped me.

His previously over-excited and happy-go-lucky expression morphed into one of concern and obvious confusion. "Hey, I know this sounds weird, but I heard you talking and singing in your sleep last night. Is everything okay?"

I laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah. One of the kids was having a nightmare, so I woke him up to talk about it and put him back to sleep with a few lullabies. Sorry if I woke up anyone. I was trying to stay quiet, but it's hard to sing without making any noise.

He shook his head. "No, that's fine. I just thought I was going crazy. That's nice of you. Who was having a nightmare?"

I pointed to the bed where I comforted the kid from last night. "The boy with the straight blonde hair. He only told me sleep monsters were eating him. I made him a deal saying that if he tried to sleep, I'd sit and sing for him and keep the sleep monsters away."

Connor rubbed his chin, but nodded. "Alright. Thanks for telling me. Just head down to the showers. We gotta get you a meeting with Chiron since you never showed up for dinner or the singalong last night."

"Okay. Sorry about that, again."

As we strolled out, he patted my shoulder. "As long as you're doing better, I have no objections. But you don't always get to stay in, okay?"

Nodding, I hurried away to the showers with my backpack to get cleaned up for the day. I rushed to finish the shower as quickly as I'd finished it yesterday, scrubbing my skin as if I wanted to rub it right off my body. I stepped out of the shower in my best set of fresh clothes, my skin red and my face bright from my amazing face wash. If there's one thing I will always pride myself on, it is my hygiene.

Upon walking outside, I saw Connor grin and click the timer he held in his hand. "By far the fastest we've had in Hermes. Most take up to fifteen minutes. Why the rush?"

I winced. "Can I be honest? It's 'cause these bathrooms are kinda gross. I was raised in a basically germaphobe household, so this is just very uncomfortable to me. Especially since I never had to share a bathroom with anyone."

He snorted. "No way. What about at sleepovers? You had to share bathrooms then."

"If I had any sleepovers to go to, and I never did."

Sharp, handsome features distorted into pity and worry. "Wait, seriously?"

I shrugged. "Never was a super social kid in school. That, and people didn't like me. I had some kind of weird form of the cheese touch from that weird book all eleven year-olds like. I dunno, it was awkward. No one really hung out with me, so I ended up being friends with my teachers and adult figures. It helped me get ahead in school, but I really had few friends. Only started having real companions my age last year."

He grimaced. "That's rough, dude. Sorry about that. It's one thing to live a weird life as a demigod with friends. Without friends, it's a whole other story."

"You get used to the loneliness. When you've got no one, you're safer than you are with others. Besides, my mom and I were real close. She was my entire world. She sustained me this long…" I sighed. "I just gotta sustain myself from now on."

With a pat to my shoulder, he huddled everyone together, and walked up to the mess hall while a horn of some sort blew loudly, ringing all over camp. The mess hall was this huge space that looked like a fancy cafeteria with pure white pillars and string lights lining the borders. Except there were no walls or a ceiling. Just a bunch of benches and tables big enough to seat almost twenty people at once. I, like some of the older Hermes residents, stood while we ate.

Let me tell you.

What. A. Spread.

They had any food imaginable. Croissants, bagels, cereal with milk, juices of five or more kinds. Eggs, bacon, avocado toast, sausage and three other types of meat. There were so many options. I stuck to a simple meal of avocado toast, a bagel with cream cheese, tofu scramble, and as much fruit as I could eat.

I didn't realize how hungry I was until that moment.

Once finished, I stood silently and waited for Connor or someone else to tell me what to do next. When he finished eating, Connor motioned for me to follow him while Chris led the rest of the cabin away to some kind of weapons storage area.

The two of us walked up to an enormous blue building with a white trim and a gold bird on the top. It looked like a mix between a Southern plantation house and a beachside property.

"This is the Big House. Chiron and Mr. D basically stay here during the summer."

"Who's Mr. D?"

He snickered, rubbing his face. "Dionysus. God of wine and celebration. Zeus got mad at him for chasing some pretty wood nymph that no one could date, so Mr. D got sent down here as punishment. He got grounded. Quite literally."

"Right…and where did he live before being grounded?"

Connor looked at me like I'd asked the dumbest question on earth. "Mount Olympus. Duh. It's moved to the Empire State Building recently, but it's still called Mount Olympus our of respect for the first home of the gods."

"Okay then. Um. Was I supposed to know that?"

He frowned. "I mean, most of us know a bit of Greek mythology before coming in. Yeah."

I shrugged. "I just never took much interest. I always liked the Native American myths more. No offense."

"None taken, I think. Well, here we go. Just be polite and don't throw names around like we just did." Nodding at his directions, I followed him into the building, twisting and turning around a few hallways before entering a cozy office-like space filled with different trinkets about Greek mythology. A large dark brown bookshelf held many different history books: some were in English, others were in what looked like Greek. Others were in Latin.

Behind a large oak desk covered in papers, files, and different knick-knacks sat a bearded man with a kind face and mischievous eyes, who was playing cards with another, shorter man with black curly hair who was dressed in an atrocious ensemble consisting of a bright cheetah-print shirt with a dark, wine red shirt underneath and khaki shorts and weird shoes.

Connor called out, "Hey, Chiron. Hello, Mr. D. I brought our older new arrival." He bowed to both adults once they turned to him. The short, chubby man gazed at us with large bloodshot eyes and a youthful but also old face graced with an unhappy scowl.

"Mr. Stoll. Have you no other business beyond pestering me during a game?"

Connor sighed. "Sorry, Mr. D, but Chiron asked me to bring her in."

Mr. D grunted and rolled his eyes, returning to his game with the other man, who was likely Chiron. The pudgy guy waved his hand, and Connor told me to sit down in one of the chairs perpendicular to Mr. D's. Connor then sat down beside me.

Chiron set down his cards and smiled at me with the warm affection of a weary college professor who just wanted his students to do well. "Hello, Miss Anusha. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. I'm sorry you were not feeling well enough to join us last night. I hope you're feeling much better today."

I nodded politely and smiled. "Yes, sir. I'm doing much better. Thank you."

"That is good to hear, my dear. Now, I am told you had a bit of an issue when leaving your home to join us? Would you please elaborate on that?"

My heart burned. I didn't want to elaborate on shit. I wanted to get this over with and do whatever Connor had planned for the cabin so I could go back to my corner and sleep my concerns away. But because I had no choice but to respond, I ignored the ache in my heart and explained myself.

"My mother and I are very close, sir. She was very vague yesterday when explaining that I had to leave her. She and I were heartbroken, but we worked through it. I thought I could ask her to bring me here so we could still spend some time together. I didn't get that chance. Nico showed up at our door today, and my mom forced me out with hugs and kisses and sadness. I just have never left her side for very long. And I've certainly never been this far from her before. I just never had many friends as a kid, so I considered her my friend. It's just hard to be without her."

Chiron nodded and smiled sadly with sympathy. "I understand. That must be quite difficult. But I hope that you will come to make many good friends here and that you will enjoy your time at Camp Half-Blood."

I smiled weakly, clasping my hands together to stop the shaking. "Thank you, sir."

Mr. D, who I still couldn't believe was a god, turned to me for a few moments before humming at Chiron. "At least this one has manners. Tell me, child. Do you know who I am?"

"Dionysus. God of wine and celebration. Connor told me just outside. But aren't you magical? How come you're working with demigods? Isn't that like, below your pay grade, in a manner of speaking?" Connor smacked his forehead in exasperation. Chiron stifled his laughter. Dionysus glanced at me with amusement.

"You really are a strange one. Yes, I am the god of wine. Celebration is part of that. I am here because my father wants me to be a good example to you young children instead of wasting my time in general punishment." He explained all this while making Diet Coke appear out of thin air and playing the card game. I tried to not stare, but it proved somewhat difficult. This fat leopard-print poker player was a god?

"Ohhh. That's cool, I guess. Um. So why am I here?"

Dionysus snorted. "And yet she is daft. Really, Chiron?"

The other man gave a little huff and a little admonishment. "Mr. D! We do not speak about the campers that way. They only know as much as they are taught before joining us." He turned to me and smiled patiently. "You are here because we want to welcome you better because you did not join us yesterday. Do you have your T-shirt and a weapon?"

I stared at him as if he grew a third ear out of his face for asking if I had a weapon as casually as asking whether or not I'd received a T-shirt.

He sighed. "Bad assumption. Connor, please take her to the armory and get her a weapon of some sort. Just try some options out and see what works for her. If there's nothing, try and check with the Hephaestus kids. They may have something for her. Come to me only as a last resort."

"Sure, Chiron. Anything else?"

The man stroked his beard, dark eyes staring closely at the desk's surface while trying to determine whether or not he'd forgotten anything. His eyes lit up with recognition. "Ah yes! Ensure that Hephaestus cabin reprograms her phone at some point. We cannot have monsters tracking her once she leaves for school in the fall."

"Awesome. We'll see you later, sir. Goodbye, Mr. D." While Chiron nodded in goodbye, Mr. D completely ignored us. That was probably for the best. Connor and I stood, bowing to both adults before scurrying out of the room.

"Do you have any combat experience at all? Anything with fighting?"

I blanked out. "Uh, I think I took a self-defense class at school once. But that was last year. I don't really do fighting, honestly. I do a lot of yoga and tai chi and swim. Fighting and rough physical activity never came easy to me."

He groaned. "Dude, how did you even survive this long?!"

"My mom. She protected me. Probably kept weapons at the house or with her without me knowing," I mumbled.

"Your mom is a superhero. Damn. Okay, anyways. Let's uh. Let's get you a weapon. Come on."

* * *

The armory had me feeling nervous. If the concept of organized chaos could take on a physical form of metal and wood and leather, the armory would be that. Knives of every size. Bows and arrows and spears and swords sheathed every wall of the giant steel shed. Anxiety and disgust churned like an uncomfortable sea of emotion in my stomach.

"Welcome to the armory. We come here to get pointy things to stab people. We got guns and stuff too, but pick whatever you like."

I strolled around the vaguely menacing space, glancing at each of the weapons carefully before spotting an old dagger set hovering at the corner of a wooden table decorated with many different knives and short swords. As if handling museum-worthy artifacts, I reached across the table and gingerly lifted the knives, their sheaths decorated with metal that had oxidized from years of solitude and dirtied marble, damaged from years of disuse. But I could see under the dirt and grime that the knives were once beautiful, powerful, like the protective wrath of a mother eagle guarding her young.

Even the hilts seemed to secretly gleam from the precise, marble-based embellishments. Setting one down on the table before me, I pulled the other free from its case. The knife, though dull, was beautiful. Curved near the hilt, but otherwise perfectly straight and stiff.

Connor came over and joined me at the table, trying to see what I had occupied myself with. He grinned in approval. "Nice. These are pretty damn cool. I think an Athena kid said these belonged to Epipole of Carystus. No one knew much about her, but she dressed up like a man and fought in the Trojan war. But some dude in the Greek army found out she was a girl, and everyone stoned her to death. It was brutal, but she was pretty damn respectable. Not many women would fight with the men while trying to hide their identities. Not usually."

I winced. "Why would they stone her? She helped, didn't she?"

He sighed. "People didn't think like that back then. They were so involved in their gender roles that they ignored merit. Of course, women were surprisingly super restricted even though the goddesses had a lot of free reign. Hypocrisy lived everywhere, I guess. So, you want these?"

I looked down at the two daggers and nodded. I sheathed the one in my hand and picked up the other. "Even if they weren't used much, I want to maintain Epipole's legacy. That's the least she deserves." Connor smiled, nodding his head as he stepped out of the armory.

"Good choice. Come on. Let's see if Cabin Nine can do anything for these knives. They're way too dull to use on the daily. That's super dangerous. Oh, by the way, they don't have a name. Names are really important in the Greek world. What will you call them?"

I raised an eyebrow at the question. Who in the world names their sword besides dramatic people? Oh wait…

My eyes looked down at the twin fourteen-inch daggers resting in my palms. "How do you say past and present in Greek?"

He chuckled a little, but obliged. "Istoria and Enestos. History and present. Of course, there are probably other translations, but these are good enough."

My lips couldn't hold back the smile. "Istoria and Enestos…I like it. Thanks, Connor. I love that."

"No problem. Also, just be careful. The forges are no joke. They're super dangerous. Hephaestus kids thrive in that environment. From what I've seen of you, you definitely won't."

Keeping my arms close to my body, I followed him towards a large metal building, marveling at its massive frame and recoiling at the powerful smell of smoke and iron wafting out of its smokestacks.

Connor led me inside, grinning as he called out a loud hello to some skinny guy working on a robot at one of the desks in the massive workspace.

The guy turned around, beaming even wider. He cleared up his work and turned off any tools before rushing over to greet us. The two curly-haired mischievous-looking boys hugged briefly before pulling apart.

The other guy was pretty strange compared to the space. While his siblings all lumbered around with their huge muscles and powerful hands, he looked like a scarecrow had chosen to become a mechanic. All lean muscle, caramel skin, and chocolate hair. Grease or oil of some sort stained his white tank top and cargo pants, which suffered severe picking and pulling from nimble, strong fingers. A crooked grin shined down at me.

He held a well-dirtied hand out. Balancing the knives in one arm, I shook his hand. "Leo Valdez. Very nice to meetcha. You're that new kid, right? The fourteen-year-old? Some of the Hermes kids were talking about you. Fitting in alright?"

"Meh. Could be worse. Didn't get much sleep last night 'cause one of my fellow newcomers was having a nightmare. I helped him sleep, but didn't get much rest myself. It's just been a weird few days for me."

Leo hummed with sympathy.

"I had the same issue. Felt awkward and unwelcome. Don't worry. You'll find your place soon enough. That's what this place helps you do the most. Even beyond all the magic and fighting. You learn your role and your worth."

Connor grinned, tossing an arm around Leo. "Valdez, old buddy, old pal. I need a favor. Our new Hermes resident chose some knives that are in less than optimal condition. Mind fixing those up for her?"

Leo nodded excitedly, holding his hands out. "Do you have 'em?"

I laughed lightly and handed him the two knives. "Here. They're super old, apparently. Can you fix 'em? If not, I can just go get another-"

"Not necessary! This is just a simple cleanup job. Just a little maintenance. I can finish this in an hour."

"Wait, seriously? Doesn't it take a long time to restore weapons?"

The son of Hermes smirked. "Not if you're Leo. This guy built so many things in under an hour. He built a universal remote in under five minutes. He's the best mechanic in the entire camp. He can do almost anything."

Leo seemed offended. "_Almost?!"_

"You can't sing," teased Connor. Leo huffed, opening his mouth as if to retort. "And please don't try. I want my eardrums to be intact today."

I snickered at their exchange. I turned to Leo. "I hate making you do this all alone. Mind if I help? Not sure if I'll know how to do anything, but if you can teach me, I can try!"

Connor gave me a weird look. "This is his specialty, though. You can just chill."

I pouted. "But I hate making him do all the work. He's probably got other projects to work on. I just wanna help out a little and not be a complete bum or leech."

Leo smirked. "This one hasn't been here long, has she?"

Connor sighed dramatically, as if he were my exasperated mother trying to teach me to be a civilized and fancy city-girl. "Only half a day, which she spent in the cabin alone."

"Seems like it. Look, you can join me. No problem. Just make sure you don't mess with anything. We have very structured insanity here. It's very hard to maintain when newcomers enter the space."

I was so excited to see what this all would look like. "Okay!"

Leo grinned. "You heard the girl, Stoll. Head on out. I'll send her back to you with two fancy knives on her belt." Connor gave us a two-finger salute in goodbye before strolling out of the forge. Leo then turned to me. "So. What do you know about metalwork?"

* * *

That day, I left the forge with two spankin'-new knives, one hooked between my torso and my pants' waistband with an attachment Leo added to the hilt, while the other sat tucked away in my boot.

I couldn't risk anyone stealing my knives, especially not when I spent time actually cleaning them and learning from Leo how to maintain their healthy state. So, I didn't tell anyone about them until Connor asked to see the newly-refurbished daggers.

I pulled the one in my waistband out, sheathing it once everyone got a good look at the outer decorations. The girls oohed at the beautifully polished marble adornments gleaming under the afternoon sun. The boys showed far less interest.

We all hung around the Hermes cabin for a little while. I mostly spent time with the young, new campers who asked a bunch of questions about me just because I was older. Unable to refuse their requests for information, I answered their weird queries.

And just as I was getting comfortable just talking and relaxing with my fellow Hermes cabin residents, Connor's watch alarm went off.

Connor grinned at us wolfishly. "Time for archery practice."


	2. Technically My First Day

Let me say that even for an abnormal human being like myself with supposed godly parentage, my archery skills were atrocious.

Allowing me to spend any amount of time at the archery range should be considered a felony. I mean, I appreciate Connor and the other people at camp trying to help us gain a bunch of skills and learn multiple types of fighting, but I should not go anywhere near a bow or arrow.

Not only did all of my arrows miss the target, but most of them also hit Chiron, who instructed us on the basics of that activity. The other half, an Apollo kid named Austin Lake taught us some more advanced techniques.

I failed both parts and decided to just sit out for the rest of class. Not only did I accidentally shoot the instructors a few times, but the arrows also landed in the armor of passing campers and nearly injured several satyrs. Using the word "guilt" undermines the actual deep and depressing feeling that slowly rose in my chest when I saw their angry expressions. I apologized loudly every single time the arrows approached or hit someone passing by. Of course, that meant anyone within earshot whipped around to look at me when I yell-pologized, but that was the least I could do to show my regret.

Most of the Hermes campers had fair amounts of luck, hitting either the outermost ring or another area close to the center of the target. Austin made every shot. Mind you, the guy is sixteen or something! He has better archery skills than all of us combined! Except for maybe Chiron.

Unbelievably disappointed with myself, I sat and watched from the bench as the others practiced a little while longer. Austin sat down beside me. "You know, this stuff takes a lot of practice. And not everyone is good at archery. Some people are more advanced in other skills."

I smiled dimly at him. "Yeah, but when almost ninety percent of the newcomers are mildly satisfactory at archery, and you can't even get near the target, it really sucks."

"It's your first try. Practice makes perfect, right? Just keep trying," he advised. "And then, even if you still fail, you can tell people you tried. But you have to try hard." Some damn good advice, really.

"Fair enough. Thanks, man," I hummed. I felt a little bit better, but the pit of guilt still sat in my stomach without leaving.

Connor called us all together fifteen minutes after archery ended, and we headed next door to the arena, which basically looked like the Colosseum, but with more Greekness than Romanness. We walked in, feet crunching gently on the sand. The floor of the arena was prepared for sword-fighting class rather than for normal gladiator stuff.

A large, circular stage about fifteen feet in diameter stood near the center, the platform raised two feet off the ground. Nearby, racks with wooden swords and shields sat ready for us to pick up and use in class.

While we waited around, some of the younger kids picked up a few of the swords, just admiring them rather than swinging them around like I know they wanted to. (Connor told them to only look and not play around with them.) After a few more minutes, Nico joined us, hopping onto the stage fluidly. Chris tossed him a wooden sword, and the two nodded their acknowledgments. Nico then dropped the wooden sword in favor of unsheathing his usual sword.

"Alright, everyone. Listen up! Since we have a lot of new kids today, we'll go back to the basics. If the more experienced kids want to go ahead and start practicing on their own nearby, that's fine. Chris will observe you guys and guide you. Connor and I will handle the new kids and anyone who needs more instruction before just going for practice," called out the son of Hades. He'd opted to not wear his jacket this time, only dressed in a simple black T-shirt from some band I'd never heard of, and dark-wash jeans and Converse shoes. One hand grasped the hilt of a sword made of metal so black, it sucked away the light hitting its surface, while the other hand moved in congruence with the flow of his words.

At his orders, the ten or so campers who'd been here longer grabbed their swords and shields and hurried away to an area maybe ten feet away from the nearest side of the stage. Meanwhile, the rest of us searched for wooden practice swords that we could move and hold comfortably. Unfortunately, I didn't find one at all and settled for a simple short sword that remained after everyone picked their weapon.

Nico directed us to simply observe before trying to do anything or use the swords. Our temporary counselor, Connor, climbed up onto the stage, his own bronze sword moving freely in his hand as he twirled it around.

The two grinned, nodded their heads, and jumped into a fierce battle without a moment of hesitation. Bronze and black iron clashed powerfully as the two fighters lunged and thrust and parried and slashed at one another. Connor fought like a cheetah: nimble, deliberate, careful, strong, agile, and fierce with a hint of mirth and cunning. He slashed and hissed and jumped back and clawed with his sword as if it were an extension of his arm. Nico fought like a lion: also quite nimble (especially due to his size), but powerful, unyielding, ruthless. His broad strokes sliced through the air, pressing and forcing Connor to an edge, cornering the son of Hermes with sheer confidence and power and intelligence of where to attack.

Connor called out when he had nowhere left to go and no more energy to fight, "Yield! I'm done!"

Nico, smirking secretly, pulled his friend up from the floor and turned to us, dark eyes glinting in the light. This guy was a beast like no other. I had no doubt in my mind that he could kill us all without even breaking a sweat. "That, my friends, is an example of a duel between equals. Let's see a duel between two non-equals." He scanned through the group, trying to wheedle out a volunteer. His eyes landed on a young man next to me who'd been to camp last year, but the guy looked away immediately after, and then Nico looked at me.

My heart dropped. I was NOT READY. I barely survived archery. I was sure I would die here.

Connor grabbed a wooden sword for himself after he and the son of Hades tossed their metal swords down behind them. He motioned for me to get up and join him. I made a fool out of myself, barely able to climb onto the stage without falling on my face at least once. After I actually got settled and shook off the previous embarrassment (which still didn't end because I could hear people's laughter long after I got up there), he nodded and smiled a little bit comfortingly, which still wasn't super comforting.

"Okay, I don't think you're ready for a duel just yet. Let's hold off for a little while until you all learn some techniques first. Alright, guys. Tell me what the first step should be?"

Pin-drop silence.

The voice of a young girl. "Uh, hold the sword correctly?"

"Yes. The sword should feel comfortable. This isn't the same as holding a pencil. It's more like holding a flag or a stick. You should be able to move it with lots of speed, but you need to have a certain amount of power behind it to do any real damage," he explained while showing us how he was holding his own sword. I tried to mimic what he was doing, adjusting my hand position until the hilt felt comfortable.

He glanced over at me during his explanation to check whether or not I was holding the sword correctly. He nodded once in approval and then gave me his full attention. "Now, one of the most important parts of fighting with a sword is the stance. If your stance is weak, you will lose in seconds, no matter how fast or strong you are." He paused to look at the others. "Oh, that's what I was forgetting! Everyone, this is Anusha. She will demonstrate some of the basics for us while I teach her." Nico smiled when everyone echoed out, "Hi, Anusha."

I smiled, knowing discomfort still remained on my face, waving at the others with my other hand. "Uh, hey."

Nico nodded and twirled the hilt of his sword in his hand a few times, telling everyone, "Why is her stance wrong right now?"

My young friend with the nightmare raised his hand, grinning when Nico picked on him. "Her legs are crossed, and she's really tense, and she's standing with her arms way too close to her body!" Our sword-fighting teacher nodded, laughing a tiny bit.

"Absolutely right. Why is she doing that?"

A girl spoke in a questioning tone, "Because she's scared and uncomfortable?"

"Also right." He turned to me, smirking a little. "Now, Anusha. You've heard their critiques. What do you need to do to get in the proper stance for fighting?"

I bit my lip before slowly moving my arms and legs to a better position while explaining what I was doing. "Uh, I should probably move my arms and legs out a little. Not too far, otherwise I'll lose balance, but just enough. Um, do I-? Uh, I guess I should also stand a bit on my toes so I can move a bit faster? And I most likely need to relax, but you're kinda scary, so I'll need either an extraordinary amount of NyQuil or I need a nap, neither of which are options right now." Everyone laughed at the last statement, which was my attempt at being humorous, even though I have no talent for comedy.

Nico snorted at my 'joke' and nodded. "Good. All good decisions. What should you do with your arms?"

I frowned and pursed my lips, trying to determine what would probably help me in a fight. "Okay, well, probably hold them out a little. One close to my body for defense, keep the other a little further out so I can move it forward and backward and stuff without letting anyone hurt that arm. And this is a guess, but maybe keep my elbows a little away from my torso so I can move the sword faster?"

"Not bad. Good ideas, honestly. Mostly accurate, too. Just make sure that your position is comfortable. You need to be able to move quickly, but you have to avoid losing power in the swing," he dictated slowly. I tried to adjust my position to align with his directions. He nodded at my actions, moving forward to change the placing of my hands so one hand stood at chest-level to push at the opponent (in my case, Nico), and the other held the sword at the ready, with the point angled towards his head while the elbow waited in front of my waist. "There. Good position. Now, let's do a basic move."

I watched him step back and assume the proper position before stepping forward with his front foot and slicing horizontally in a straight line, the back of his hand facing up. "See? Can you do that for me? Don't worry about doing it wrong. It would only look wrong because you don't have the confidence yet, and you're a beginner."

"Um, alright. If you say so." I attempted to copy his movements from a minute ago, the step forward, the slash sideways. Of course, I messed this up too, somehow. I overstepped and swung a little too slowly, and the sword basically cut downwards instead of sideways.

He nodded in approval. "You've got the right idea. Good rhythm and focus. Just work on the speed and distance now."

"Right direction? I was completely off!" I exclaimed dejectedly. Nico shook his head.

"Look at it like this. Whether or not you make mistakes, you're learning. If you don't make a mistake, you learned a skill to improve on so you can continue learning. If you did make a mistake, you found something to work on that you're going to improve without even knowing it. Mistakes are only costly in battle. When you're still figuring this stuff out, mistakes are valued. They teach us more than the lessons we know perfectly after the first time we heard them."

Not only was Nico incredibly skilled as a fighter, but he was also wise as fuck. "Good point." I sighed. "Alright."

I kept going a few more times until he said I did it right. And then he had me do that a few more times after so I actually perfected it. He nodded. "Good. Now. Everyone else do it too. Anusha, you're going to help me guide people. You were a student, now you'll be the teacher." I groaned, but I listened anyway. Only an idiot would want to cross Nico di Angelo.

He jumped down from the stage, and I followed hesitantly. "Everyone, get in two lines. Each person should have one partner. Connor, partner with someone if we've got an odd number. Anusha, look for everything we just talked about. Bad posture, smoothness of the technique, distance management, power, direction. All of those. And when you correct people, make sure you're doing it with them, okay? That's the best way to perfect a skill: teaching it yourself while practicing at the same time."

I nodded my head and walked to the middle of the row closest to me. Nico shouted, "Go!" and everyone began slashing in turns. I looked for the five things he just listed. My young friend from last night was the person closest to me that needed some help. My feet carried me towards him before I could even register a girl calling for some help. "I'll be right there!"

My friend groaned helplessly, looking up at me with a pout. "I can't even move it! It's so heavy! How am I supposed to be fast when I can't even pick this thing up."

I grinned. "First, tell me your name so I don't end up calling you 'kid' all the time."

"Jonah."

"Okay, Jonah. It probably feels heavy because your arm is too far from your body. It's harder to pick something up when you hold it from a distance than when you pick it up from a smaller distance. It's better weight distribution if the object is closer. Now follow me, okay?" I stood right beside him and changed my position to what Nico had changed for me just a while earlier. I held my sword-arm a bit closer to my body, keeping my elbow level with my stomach and my shoulders relaxed, but a tiny bit tensed to let me still move efficiently.

I looked back at Jonah, checking his stance and hand-position once before making the slicing motion. He copied me after a few of my repetitions. "Good! See, that's how you do it. Just have to keep adjusting until you feel comfortable but in the right position. Now keep doing that. And if you're not sure about something, make sure you ask your partner for help too, okay?"

As soon as he seemed okay on his own, I moved to the other side of the row to attend to the girl who called me earlier. "Hey! What's your name, and what do you need help with?"

She smiled tiredly. "I'm Emilia. I can't figure out how to move the right distance forward. I keep going too far or not far enough."

Dark blue eyes gazed at me hopefully, shining ebony hair straining in the tight yellow hair tie attempting to keep all the locks together. A smooth olive smile warmed my heart, and I nodded. "Sure, okay. So what have you tried to do differently?'

"Uhhh…"

I chuckled gently, trying to not seem rude or disrespectful. "Okay, well, there it is. Try something different about how you're moving. What can you change that'll make it easier to know where your foot should go?"

"I don't know…"

"Okay, try this. I'll step back. Slice your sword horizontally. Don't move your feet. Just the sword."

She readied herself and slashed sideways through the air. Her partner watched us closely when I moved with her. "Okay, now move your sword to the middle, just hold it forward." She moved the sword back to the halfway position and waited for my directions. I walked a bit closer and placed my right shoe tip right behind her ankle. "I'm gonna move your foot for you. Just go with it."

I inched her sneaker-clad shoe forward until her toes aligned with the lower end of the wooden sword in her hand. "This is where your foot should be. Move the sword away now and memorize the feeling of your legs. Feel where each foot is closely and then return your leg to its original spot." She did as I asked, taking a few minutes to remember the position of her legs before moving the front leg back. "Now step forward and back a few times until you know exactly where it should be each time you move."

Forward and back, forward and back, forward and back. This girl had a lot of patience and diligence. I really appreciated that. "Now try to do that without looking at where your leg is going. Let it be instinctual." Once she got the hang of it, she added the sword movement on her own, and I glowed with pride. The girl did wonderfully. I really was so happy. Not just because I was actually following my own advice and doing it well, but I was actually able to teach someone else how to do something I learned just now. "Awesome job! See, you got it! That's so amazing. Keep doing that!"

Nico ended the session after we learned and practiced one more skill, which was blocking. That part was a bit easier for me because even though my fighting abilities are usually trash, I am quite adept at defending myself. Mostly because I had to protect myself from dodgeballs and other projectiles when I was in gym class and stuff, so I got used to the feeling of defensive motion. Nico asked me to keep doing the teacher-helper thing for that lesson, so I agreed to do it for more lessons until someone else wanted to do it. I actually had more fun learning by teaching than learning on the stage.

He caught up to me after the class was over, smiling a little. "Well done with the lessons for today. That was pretty good. I didn't know if you would be able to teach and learn at the same time because you're so new to this whole thing, and you're not much of a fighter. But you really proved yourself. Nice job. How are you feeling?"

"Honestly? Like I wanna sleep while taking a cold shower." He laughed at my response. "But that was cool. At least I wasn't as bad at this as I was in archery. That was a disturbing event. I like sword-fighting, though." I then asked something that had been bugging me the entirety of the session. Whenever Nico was fighting, I could sense that something was off with his sides, as if he'd been injured or something like that. I didn't know how, but I knew he had an issue with his side muscles, and I was a bit worried. "Are your sides okay? Like, do you have any wounds or anything?"

He coughed, having choked briefly from taking a sip of his water too quickly. "Sorry, _what?!_"

"Uh…" I wanted to backtrack, but that wasn't a viable option at that point. "Yeah, uh, you've got an issue with your sides. I just wanted to know if you're alright."

Nico stared at me, dark eyes narrowed, as if he didn't believe me, but had a feeling I was right. He scowled momentarily and looked down at the ground as we walked. "I don't know how in the world you'd know, but yes. I got punched a little too hard under my rib cage when I was doing some hand-to-hand combat earlier. I didn't even tell anyone. Will probably knows, but he's the only one. How do you even know I had an issue with my sides?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I just kinda knew it. I can't explain it."

He gave me a strange look before sighing. "Who knows? Maybe this is part of your powers or whatever. We'll see. Where are you headed now?"

Connor piped up from beside the son of Hades, "We're going down to the river for canoeing. Not sure how soon, but at least within the next half-hour." He gazed at his tired cabinmates, none of whom were standing or even sitting up. If they were sitting up or standing, they were drinking water by the half-gallon. Connor laughed a little. "Maybe a little later than a half-hour."

Nico nodded. "Alright. I was just curious. Connor, don't forget. Meeting in two hours with the other counselors." The young man's usually relaxed face turned dark. "We've got a new issue that we don't want to risk others knowing."

I raised an eyebrow at their weird behavior and discussion but opted to ignore it. (Hey, I have a lot on my plate as it is. I don't have the patience to care what two counselors are talking about. Especially if that topic is none of my business.)

The Hermes cabin people all moved up to the canoeing lake together, trudging along slowly as if the one hour of sword-fighting had drained them of all life and joy. Jonah and Emilia and I talked for longer than I thought we would, still feeling the burn in every single muscle in my body from all those repetitions I did of the two moves we learned in class. I appreciated Nico wanting me to do well and learn lots of important skills, but I really was not used to this level of rough physical activity. As a girl who lived off of activities like yoga, I couldn't handle how much energy and muscle this stuff required.

Apparently, Emilia was an Illinois kid like me, born and raised near the Illinois edge of Lake Michigan. Jonah was from Nashville, but he grew up in Maine because of his dad and step-mom. The three of us began introducing ourselves the moment we left the arena.

I learned many things from our twenty-minute walk down to the canoe lake with the rest of the Hermes kids. Emilia spoke four languages fluently, not including English. She switched between three different schools in a period of four weeks when she was in her freshman year of high school. She loved to play chess and learned to play guitar at twelve, but never continued because she developed a skin condition that made her fingertips more prone to scarring from any amount of damage. She primarily knitted and made clothes for fun, but she was trying her hand at baking. She was fourteen, like me.

Jonah was very adept at learning to play music because his family often spent many vacations in Memphis due to his stepmother's love of Elvis Pressley. He was quite the writer and won several high school-level writing competitions when he was five. His dad thinks he's something of a genius, but Jonah's dyslexia makes Jonah believe otherwise. He is terrible at swimming, but he likes hanging out at the beach, which is probably a bad combination. He was only ten.

Naturally, Emilia and I were teamed up, while Connor and Jonah were teamed up.

"Alright, guys! We're gonna do some canoeing. For anyone new to canoeing or boats of any kind, just remember to have your life jacket on at all times, please keep your arms and legs close to your body, and try not to rock side to side too much. Imbalance is not a good idea in water. Now, I'll show you guys the motions for how to move forward in the water. Watch closely, okay?"

Connor demonstrated how to row and stuff. It was cool, but most of the campers were too tired or bored to care anymore, so only half of us were paying attention. Thank goodness, both Emilia and I were paying attention.

I figured from the moment I sat down in the canoe that shit would get fucked up. That's just how it is with me. I mean, I don't lose all morale and love for life, but I do get embarrassed and try to minimize the issue as much as I can, which usually works.

But why did I assume that something would go wrong when I got in the canoe? Because I lost my balance and nearly fell out of the thing two times while trying to climb into one of the seats. No normal person almost falls twice while just getting into a canoe. It wasn't even moving much beyond bobbing due to the water!

But the actual activity was alright. It was kind of soothing. All smooth motion and careful rowing. I really liked it. Emilia was really good at rowing. My arms strained with each pull of the oars, while she rowed without breaking a sweat even once throughout the duration of the activity.

And the space was gorgeous too. All greenery and clear waters and skies more beautiful than any nature photography you've ever seen. It felt like a movie, to be honest.

Things turned south when we had a bit of a run-in with another canoe. Both parties were understanding and knew it was a mistake, but things still got messy. I fell into the water, but Emilia remained in the canoe. We laughed hard, but I had no hope of getting back in the thing with my luck and how slippery I was. She rowed all the way back to the starting dock, while I swam.

I mean, it wasn't too bad. I'm no child of Poseidon, but I was a pretty damn good swimmer. I was even on a swim team for a year in middle school! I didn't stay long, but I definitely performed quite well in almost any water-based situation. Swimming on a team, teaching kids how to swim, anything like that.

Hopping onto the deck was a bit of a challenge, but no more difficult than getting into the canoe. I laughed uncontrollably once Emilia and I met again. We stopped for a moment when everyone gave us weird glances, clearly disturbed at our behavior. And after that, we continued dying of laughter until Connor stepped over to check on us after my unfortunate accident with the canoe.

"Um, you two doing okay? Someone said you fell out of the canoe, Anusha. How does that even happen?" he asked with a barely concealed laugh.

I grinned and shrugged. "Who even knows, man? That's just part of my luck. Accidents you never knew could happen somehow end up happening. But I'm fine. Emilia didn't fall, but I had to swim back here from where I fell."

"Dude, that's like, pretty far. Almost a few hundred yards! How are you not tired?!" He grabbed my arms to check for any injuries or sprains, finding none.

"I mean, I swam for several years in lessons and joined a team for a year in middle school. And I kept swimming in high school just as a workout and stuff." I stretched my arms to loosen some of the knots in my back and sighed once my back felt more comfortable. "Anyways, what are we doing next?"

He grumbled, crossing his arms. "Ancient Greek lessons with Malcolm from the Athena cabin."

"Shit."

"Pretty much," he agreed despondently. "But the upside is that Malcolm tries to make the class a little bit more fun because he knows how much it drags. Annabeth, not so much."

I wondered aloud, even though I probably should have kept this question to myself, "Who's Annabeth?"

"Percy Jackson's girlfriend and the daughter of Athena. She's the counselor of the Athena cabin. Nice girl, as long as she isn't trying to dig her knife into your skull. Super smart. Probably the genius of camp's Big Seven, who are the heroes that basically prevented the earth goddess from destroying all of humanity and both camps. Leo Valdez is one of the seven. He actually destroyed the earth goddess, so he's kind of the final hero of the seven. He's dating Calypso, the former daughter of Atlas, but she's off in New Rome for a little while to train with Praetor Frank Zhang, a good friend of Leo, Percy, and Annabeth."

I coughed. "Leo. The cool skinny dude from the Hephaestus cabin? _He_ destroyed _a goddess_?! I never would have thought…"

Connor snorted. "Most don't. He doesn't look like the hero type, but the guy is super powerful. The only fire-user son of Hephaestus in a few centuries. The last guy burned down London. Leo saved us all. Big difference, I'd say. But yeah. Super smart guy too. Machines move to his rhythm. I can tell you about the seven for hours on end. But let's head down to class. Malcolm may be nice, but he's not someone to mess with."

* * *

Class was pretty interesting. Half the class paid attention while the other half dozed away or got lost in their thoughts or just fucked around. I was in the half that paid attention, laughing quietly whenever Malcolm threw a pencil at someone who wasn't listening to the lesson.

I couldn't read anything he put on the board he'd set up (classes were in the amphitheater at the bottom steps), but everyone else could read aloud the words with fluency.

For once, I felt really behind when it came to academic or knowledge-based lessons. I tried my hardest to keep up and learn as much as I could. Malcolm, bless him, gave me a packet of info with the Greek alphabet, pronunciations, basic Greek words, and other linguistic information so I could learn the basics faster. He let me work on the packet and stuff while the others took class normally.

I admit it was kind of difficult to try and do my own thing while Malcolm was putting the fear of the gods into the others' souls, but he let me listen to music and stuff while I worked, so it wasn't that bad.

Of course, I had to stay back for a little while to get Malcolm's help with pronunciation and writing the actual letters, but he was a good teacher. He had a lot of patience, which I appreciated a lot. I'm fairly okay with picking up languages because I'm already bilingual. However, Greek is not at all familiar to me. The letters and I dunno how to say it, texture? Of the words? That part isn't too bad since Malayalam has similar sounds for some of the letters. But for the actual vocabulary and writing, I needed a lot more practice and time to actually figure out how to use the language in a daily setting beyond just doing practice and figuring out the parts of the packet.

I remained in the class for about fifteen minutes and chose to help the brainiac son of Athena pack up his items and bring them back to the Athena cabin. The rolling whiteboard he used wasn't too heavy, but his books and crate of supplies felt heavier than they likely were. He didn't say much but gave a kind smile in thanks.

He held the door open for me when I carried in the crate and pushed the board. I set the black plastic box down on the ground and sighed softly, feeling the exhaustion of walking the distance while carrying such heavy items. Sure, it wasn't too far to walk from the amphitheater to the Athena cabins, but the weight made it worse. "Thanks for helping me get this stuff back here. Most people rush off after class ends."

"No problem, dude. Just happy to help. You doin' okay? Your face is a little redder than I would expect for the walk."

Malcolm coughed and nodded. "'M fine. Just a little tired. Not used to the sun just yet. It's a kind of adjustment period, honestly. Where are you headed?"

"Honestly? I have no idea whatsoever. Connor probably knows, though," I admitted.

He hummed, grabbing a walkie talkie from a desk near the door and pressed some button and turned up the volume. We winced at the screaming of the static and then Connor's loud words pressing through the device. "Connor, shut up, and just tell me where you and the other Hermes people are."

Connor huffed through the walkie-talkie and responded in the most petulant voice I've ever heard from a human being. "Just chillin' until dinnertime. We're all super spread out, but most of us are hanging out near the Hermes cabin. Tell Anusha to come down to the Hermes cabin. I don't want her skipping dinner again. It's been what? The second day since she first came here?"

Giggling from amusement at his unnecessarily brother-like words, I explained into the walkie-talkie, "Yep. Second day! But technically, only one day because I got here yesterday morning."

He groaned. "Who cares about technicalities? Just get over here. I need to ask you something very important and very serious. No- Jonah, stop laughing! I am a mature almost-adult, and I will be respected! Wait- ugh! Just get over here, Anusha. I am drowning in disrespect."

I laughed, nodding my head before realizing he couldn't hear me. "Alright, alright. Just give me like two minutes."

"Fine. Oh, and Malcolm, she better not get more points just because she helped you pack up today, bro. Totally not fair!"

Malcolm laughed hard. "She definitely does now that you said it." I could hear Connor groaning his life force out. "See you guys at dinner. Bye!" He turned off the walkie-talkie before giving me an explanation after I gave him a weirded-out expression. "I have this point system where if people do really well in assessments or do something point-worthy like asking a good question or giving a good answer in class, I'll give them points. Only one per question or answer, and three for tests and quizzes. You just got four points for being helpful to the teacher."

I beamed. "So what do these points get us?"

"Usually candy or a day off from class or something like that. Maybe some drachma, which is the currency we use in this world. Just depends on the number of points a person collects in a period of time when I give out rewards for the points and stuff. My sister doesn't do that, so it's really only for my students. But that's kind of why I'm the favorite teacher for most people. I only started doing this last summer, though, so it's all kind of a new development."

"Dude, that sounds awesome. No doubt that you're people's favorite teacher." I grinned and nodded, raking my fingers through my hair. "Hopefully, I can catch up to the others quickly. I'd hate to be the only one still learning the basics for two months."

He shook his head, smiling. "No way. I'm sure you'll be alright. Now, head on back. I don't need Connor complaining to me again."

"Alrighty! See ya later!" I waved and ran out, rushing to the Hermes cabin as fast as I could. Connor gave me that critical parent expression as he waited for me on the steps of the cabin. "What is it, Connor?"

He sighed, his face morphing into concern more than anger or disapproval. "Come on inside. I need to ask you something really important and slightly weird."

I raised an eyebrow at his reply, but nodded and entered the cabin, which consisted of only the two of us. He crossed his arms and rubbed his temples. He motioned for me to sit on one of the beds as he sat on the one across from me. "You cannot tell anyone else in camp that I've asked you about this. Understood?"

I nodded, biting my lip out of newfound nervousness about his behavior.

Connor pulled something out of his jeans pocket, holding it out for me to see clearly, a pendant sitting in his palm as the other hand grasped the chain of the necklace. "Do you recognize this?" I was mesmerized by the necklace, which was completely made of gold save for the actual gem set in the center of the pendant, a deep blue stone that seemed to glow in the dim light of the cabin, as if some kind of living thing resided in the gem rather than the necklace being a completely inanimate object. I reached a hand out and stroked a finger along the edges of the gem set in the intricate golden pendant. The world seemed to disappear as my eyes focused on the beautiful cobalt of the stone, my mouth going dry as the sensation of breathing fell away slowly. It was like being lovingly suffocated to death.

Connor yanked my hand away from the necklace, holding it away from me. My instincts screamed at me to take it back and keep it with me, but I snapped out of it after Connor gave me a solid punch to the arm. "What the fuck just happened?!"

I coughed as air returned to my lungs with an angry flourish, pressing forcefully into my body. "I don't know…I honestly don't, Connor. I don't."

He sighed and nodded. "That's the issue. We want to know if you've ever seen this thing before. At all."

I frowned. "Who is we?"

"The other counselors and I. Have you ever seen this necklace before?"

My hands went straight to my face as I tried to rub the confusion from my eyes and then covered them to think better. "Okay um. Oh, wait!" My hands rushed away from my cheeks, and Connor's face gained a strong look of hope. "I know exactly where I saw this. I was watching a YouTube video about the most cursed gems in the world. This is the Hope Diamond. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure this is the one."

He groaned. "I knew it. I fucking knew it. Ugh. Goddammit. Okay, I need your help. I- I don't know if I can give you any real details beyond what the others agree to, but I'll try and explain the issue so you can tell me what all you know."

I stared at him. "You okay, bro?"

"It's a very complicated issue, okay? Just…if we give you any summons to the Big House or one of the cabins, just drop everything and come immediately. This issue is of extreme seriousness. You cannot take this lightly. Of course, there will be times when you can't just rush, but come as soon as you can, okay? This is a very critical problem, and the other counselors and I are trying to resolve it as fast as possible. This isn't a reason for you to worry about your safety here, but you do need to understand that we're being resilient and trying to get to the root of the issue."

I took in the information and kept silent for a moment. "So um. I'm going off a limb here, and don't misunderstand me, but is that necklace cursed or something? And that's why no one can touch it or whatever?"

Connor gave me a serious look. "Whether or not it is cursed is unknown. Athena and Hecate counselors are trying to figure out what its deal is. Nico is working with his sister Hazel to determine what created the curse of the gem. Hazel is a daughter of Hades who can create cursed jewels. She might be able to help us. We have most hands on deck, but nothing is confirmed. All I'm saying is, if we ask for your help, come as soon as you can. Unless we say anything, don't let anyone at camp know that we have a problem, okay?"

I nodded my head quickly.

"Good. Now, dinner will start in a few minutes. Don't think too hard on any of this and just have a nice night, okay?"

"Okay…" I kept watching him over my shoulder as I scurried out of the cabin. Something was definitely going on, but he didn't want to tell me for some reason. I wouldn't question him, and I wouldn't push it. I had no such right. He was my counselor. I had no place in telling him what to do.

And then I understood, _But that doesn't mean I can't help him figure it out._

My body turned around quickly, and before he realized, Connor was trapped in my hug. "I know this is all really weird for you. I don't know what's going on, but I can tell you're stressed. If you need to talk to someone, I'm here, okay? Even if I don't know how his world works, I can keep secrets and try to help however I know."

Clearly, the guy was too shocked to respond for a few seconds but quickly hugged back once he had processed the info. Poor Connor sagged into me, resting his face in my hair. I really felt so bad. Taking care of almost thirty mischievous kids is hell-like. He wasn't just like a middle school teacher, he was a parent to thirty kids. That kind of stuff weighs heavily on the mind and soul, especially when no one else is there to bear the burden as well.

I pulled back and patted his cheek, smiling as sweetly as I could. "No matter how hard this gets, I will always be here to help. You just need to ask, okay?" Usually glimmering blue eyes shined weakly, grey from the weight of the responsibility Connor held.

He nodded and patted my shoulder, squeezing it gently. He rubbed his face and smiled, his expression slowly rejuvenating as he relaxed. "Thanks, Anusha. I really appreciate that. You have no idea how relieved I am to hear I've got help."

I grinned. "Hey, no problem, brother. And just call me Anu. Faster than Anusha, and that's what my favorite people called me back at home. I'm always happy to help whenever I can, Connor. Don't forget that." I tossed an arm around his shoulders, even though I could barely reach them. "Now, come on. I'm starving."

He laughed and pushed my arm down to wrap around his side, coiling his own around my neck. "Alright. Let's go eat."

* * *

Dinner, like most things at camp, overwhelmed me. It was like being at those super fancy millionaire parties, but Greek-themed. Dryads brought us platters of fruit, various cheeses, mouthwatering loaves of bread, and so many other things. I could have ended the hunger for all homeless people in Chicago by just giving them the food I saw at dinner.

Like breakfast, the Hermes table's seats filled up in fifteen minutes, leaving seven of the older kids standing up near the table while eating.

Each cabin had its own table, and each table had a different form of décor. The Demeter kids, for example, decorated their table with vines and beautiful flowers and blooms I'd never even seen in this part of the world before. The Apollo cabin's table shone brightly from the golden tones and brassy finishes reflecting the light illuminating the dining pavilion.

Sadly, while looking around the area, I observed that Nico di Angelo sat at his table, accompanied by no one. I realized that he had no siblings at camp, which must become quite lonely quite quickly.

I told Connor I would sit with Nico for dinner, and he smiled in approval, nodding his head. I grabbed a plate and a chalice-looking thing for myself, walking over calmly to sit with the son of Hades. Naturally, the eyes of other campers wandered towards me, having expected no one to join Nico for that meal.

He looked up from his dinner and raised an eyebrow at me. "You okay?"

"Yep! Mind if I sit with you?"

Clearly flabbergasted by my blunt answer and subsequent question, he nodded slowly, obsidian eyes still wide and eyebrows held high.

My eyes immediately shot towards the source of a familiar noise: my younger friends from Hermes loudly asking why I wasn't sitting with them. I smiled sheepishly, leaving my food at the table while momentarily walking back to my original table. I knelt down beside my younger companions, smiling a little at their excited expressions.

"I'm sitting with Nico at the Hades table. No one should have to eat alone all the time."

A loud 'Ohhhh!' rang through them. Jonah asked if he could sit with us too. Connor nodded in approval, but I had to check with Nico, who still wore perplexion on his face as if it were the only thing he felt. "Hey, uh, some of the Hermes people are asking if they can sit here. Do you mind, Nico?" Still speechless, my emo friend shook his head. I waved over Jonah and Emilia, smiling a little when Jonah sprinted to sit beside Nico and gaze up at the older boy with a feeling that can only be described as hero-worship.

Nico looked at his youngest table mate curiously before turning to Emilia. "Uh, why did you guys want to sit here?"

Jonah threw his arms up in mock exasperation. "Come on, Mr. Angelo! If Anusha likes you, that means you're really nice and stuff and a good dude and smart and super cool. We want to be your friend too!"

Eyes wide and smile threatening to slip out, Nico patted the young man's back. "Thanks, buddy. That's nice." He turned to me, an eyebrow raised.

I just grinned. "I'm great at making friends. It's about the only thing I can do. And these two asked on their own. I had no part in making them sit here beyond just saying you shouldn't have to sit here alone when I can keep you company."

He raised a dark, sleek eyebrow in cautious disbelief, but entertained young Jonah's excited conversation. Emilia and I tried our hardest not to laugh at the adorable sight. Nico would be the BEST big brother ever. He had so much patience and listened so well, even though most people wouldn't particularly pay much attention to Jonah's ramblings.

Kind of out of nowhere, some tall guy with honey-blonde hair and cerulean eyes like the depth of the skies hurried over to us, throwing his arms around Nico from behind him, hugging our powerful friend's shoulders. Nico recoiled and tried to pull away until he looked up and realized who had their arms around him. Usually cold and calm eyes of ebony softened, joyless, smooth lips curved up into a warm smile.

"Will."

The blonde guy leaned down and kissed Nico's cheek, his own smile almost blinding us from the sheer happiness in his face. And partly from the glowing. "Hey, Nico. I see you've got some people to eat with tonight. Still want me to sit here with you?"

As if unable to hold back his excitement, Nico nodded quickly, gripping onto Will's hand. "Of course!" Will laughed like chimes in the wind and kissed Nico's cheek again before hurrying away to grab his dinner.

Emilia and I wore shark grins and devilish eyes. "Your boyfriend or your husband?"

Nico flushed deep pink when we said that, groaning softly. "Boyfriend. We haven't been together long enough to get married."

"But you would if he asked, right?"

He smiled with a kind of unexpected adoration in his eyes. "Without hesitation."

I nodded. "He treats you well?"

Nico chuckled at my weirdly protective question but nodded. "Better than anyone else has in my entire life. He's too good to me. More than I deserve."

My lips curved up into a smile like Nico's did a minute ago. "That's all I wanna hear. Also, you definitely deserve love. Almost everyone does. People who cause others pain with extremely ill intentions don't deserve love, but you do. You're a good person. Good people deserve love."

He sighed, shaking his head dramatically. "You kids these days. So dramatic."

I smirked. "Says the emo."

Nico tossed a grape at my head playfully. "Say that again." I laughed and tossed a little piece of tomato back at him.

"Says the emo," I teased. He rolled his eyes again, face positively beaming when Will returned to sit with him.

"Are you kids bullying my boyfriend? Honestly, guys. Nico dressing like either an old man or a depressed man is no reason for you guys to make fun of him. Besides, only I can make fun of his clothes."

Nico smacked Will's shoulder, which definitely must have hurt a lot because I could see the bruises forming in Will's arm where the son of Hades' hand made contact. I winced at the pain. It looked like roots. The point of contact created a circle of pain that spread out with little roots into the muscle and flesh of the upper arm joint.

Because I don't know how to keep my mouth shut, I exclaimed, "Nico, why would you hurt him like that?! The poor guy is seriously in pain!"

Will gave a huffed laugh, tight enough to tell me that he was definitely hurting. "It's not that big of a deal. I've suffered worse than this. Nico hits like a butterfly." He rubbed his shoulder, pouting at Nico, who was pointedly ignoring his suffering boyfriend while eating dinner.

"Uh, no. I think there's some real muscle damage there. The deltoid looks weird, Will. You might wanna check that out and see what exactly is up."

"Excuse me? How do you know that?" muttered the slowly deepening voice of Nico's sunny boyfriend.

I bit my lip and clenched my hand around my fork. "Uh. It just looks like it. I don't know how to describe it. But I know I'm right. For sure."

Will and Nico both stopped their adorable romantic feud to stare at me. Will smiled calmly and stood up, taking Nico with him. "Can you guys excuse us really quick?" The two counselors hurried off, speaking quickly and tensely in Ancient Greek. They grabbed Connor on their way towards Chiron, who sat near the opposite edge of the pavilion, arms crossed as he watched his campers peacefully.

The three youths and one centaur archery teacher began speaking very quickly, all moving away a little further into the darkness to avoid being seen or heard by the other campers. Emilia and I looked at one another, both of us frowning. Jonah was too busy munching on his dinosaur chicken nuggets to care about what just happened, but I could tell even he knew this was odd.

Jonah was one of those genius kids for sure. He knew something was happening because of what I said, but he acted innocent like he didn't know anything. This kid would be really awesome as a fighter. I was sure of it.

Emilia and I continued eating despite our concerned curiosity about the events that had just occurred in front of us. She spoke to me after almost five full minutes of uninterrupted silence.

"How did you know that?"

I sighed, setting down my fork to look at her and explain myself. "I saw the pain. It sounds weird, but hear me out. It looks like a circle or half-sphere wherever contact was first made, and then roots coming off of the circle, spreading throughout the shoulder. The brighter it looks, the more it hurts. And I could see the muscles had like a dent in them where they were supposed to be straight."

She tapped her lips, frowning. "That's really weird. Like, really weird. I have some friends around camp, but no one can do stuff like that. Maybe the Apollo kids, but they just heal people. I don't know if they can see internal injuries. And I know they can't see pain."

I sighed. "I'm starting to get a feeling that this entire situation is going to lead me to eternal drama or death. Probably both. Knowing my luck, that'll start next week."

She patted my back. "Just focus on dinner. Maybe it's nothing." Considering her previous words, I wanted to disregard her comfort, but I knew that would do nothing for me. I just had to deal with things as they came and then move on.

After about ten minutes, Nico and Will returned to the table, both youthful faces aged with an odd combination of parental concern and childish hope. Will spoke to me in the sternest voice I'd heard from him since we first met a little while ago. "Anusha, Chiron told me to inform you that you shouldn't speak of this to anyone. Until we have more information on you and your parentage, try to avoid making comments like those unless Nico or I ask you to. I hate to restrict you like this, but for your safety and for others' safety, it's best that you keep your abilities to yourself, okay?"

My heart stung at the words. I didn't want to be so weird that I couldn't even talk about the things I knew. I mean, it wasn't like I was heartbroken, but it does suck when the implication is that you're too weird for anyone to know about what you experience daily. I don't know, my emotions were hard to explain.

However, I understood exactly why they expected that of me. I had a gut feeling this worry about my so-called abilities and Connor's freak out about that necklace he showed me earlier had some kind of connection, but I didn't speak on that thought. Clearly, these two thought my powers were too weird to speak about.

So, I smiled like nothing bothered me and continued eating dinner and speaking to my friends.

Jonah looked at me as he, Emilia, and I walked to the amphitheater for the singalong thing. "You're still upset."

I couldn't hide anything from that kid. "Yep."

Based on his moment of surprise and then understanding, I figured he didn't expect me to agree or admit to anything. His next question melted my heart. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, sweetie. But thank you. I appreciate the offer."

"Okay." We continued walking in relative silence, only speaking to warn one another of a rock in the path that we might trip over or a particularly long branch that might hit us in the face.

Emilia and Jonah and I held hands the entirety of the short trip, choosing to sit closer to our fellow Hermes cabin residents rather than near the other cabins. Our youngest of the trio leaned against me, shivering mildly like a scarf hung under an air vent.

Emilia stood and sat on his other side, so he could receive warmth from the two of us. She laid her jacket over his shoulders while I kept an arm around him, rubbing his back once in a while.

He squinted up at us, eyes still critical, but sweet. "I already have a mom, you know."

We couldn't help but laugh and kiss his cheeks, hugging him just a bit too much for his comfort, the adorable little guy.

I looked down at the fireplace, which blazed with multicolored flames and toiled and tossed around flickers of light into the vast eternity of night shrouding us. It really did mesmerize me more than I thought physically possible.

Randomly, the unholy screeching of interference filled the space like Satan's best work of auditory torture. Everyone clutched their ears until the interference quietened into nothingness. Will's warm voice washed over us, soothing irritated eardrums and angry campers. "Sorry about that, guys. The sound system is getting fixed right now, so we're using our backup. Who's ready for some music?!"

Everyone cheered. It was almost as deafening as the interference from a minute earlier.

"Awesome! Alright, so we've got a bit of a different program today. We're going to let a few of the non-Apollo kids start out our singalong today. I'd like some volunteers from the crowd."

A few people raised their hands near us, but Will didn't see them yet, picking two or three people from the other end of the seats. Without my consent and before I realized it, Emilia and Jonah threw up their arms, shouting to Will that they're nominating me to go down and sing. I glared at them in hopes that they'd regret their treacherous actions, but they merely laughed in my face and hugged me, the little devils.

Will's face grew devilish, and he beckoned me down, clearly excited that my friends had forced me to the stage. I glared at them even as I walked down the steps, trying not to fall over and make a fool of myself in front of the entire camp.

I nearly tripped on the last step but caught myself in time.

Anxiety vibrating deep in my bones, I walked forward and stood awkwardly with the other two individuals: a really gorgeous daughter of Aphrodite with dirty blonde hair and the cutest face I'd ever seen and a tall son of Ares who wore anger on his face as if the emotion was created for him.

"Let's all welcome Valentina Diaz. We all know I'm not as much of a singer as my other siblings, but I'm sure Valentina will have much better luck with this than I do. Everyone, let's give her a round of applause!" Will handed the mic to the other girl, smiling encouragingly at her.

Valentina smiled sweetly, and I felt my bones turn to mush. Was it just me or is everyone this deeply affected by children of Aphrodite?!

She moved the mic up to her lips and began singing some kind of beautiful and tragic love song. A story about the romance between a boy of royalty and a girl of poverty and how, despite their best efforts, they could not reconcile their differences in belief and behavior and had to break apart even though they loved one another so much. Halfway through the song, some of the Apollo kids began playing the guitar and piano as background instrumentation for the song, which only enhanced its power. She wasn't a perfect singer, but I could feel the depth of emotion she wove into her singing. By the end of it, I had misty eyes and a tight throat.

Will cheered loudly, patting her back. "Well done, Valentina! That was absolutely beautiful! I'm sure my siblings agree. Go on back to your spot. Don't want to leave you standing here all night." Valentina gave me and the Ares kid sweet smiles and a little wave before hurrying back to her siblings.

The son of Ares took the mic from Will just as the blonde healer was about to speak. "No more introductions, Will. We all know who we are. I'm not usually super open about love and all that stuff. It's just not how I roll. But Miranda, baby, this is for you." Some girl in the crowd squeaked and sighed happily, giggling at the words from the giant of Asian descent.

He had chosen some kind of song about sacrifice and protective love. It was mostly about defending his girlfriend and keeping her happy. The bridge near the end of the song was more about how she kept him happy and gave him strength and hope and made him feel human and whole, which was absolutely adorable. His voice was much scratchier than the voice of Valentina. Obviously. But he still sang with the same emotional intensity, his own voice choking up during specific lines or words or whatever. It really did warm my heart.

The end of his song sped past in a lifeless blur. I had encompassed myself in the dread of having to perform for other people that I basically zoned out at the end of the dude's song. I felt bad, of course. But I couldn't change what had happened. Will then stepped closer to me and made a little introduction. "Everyone, this is Anusha. She's a bit of an anomaly among us. She's fourteen and has yet to be claimed by her godly parent. She likes spending time with tweens — no offense, kiddos." Everyone laughed a bit too loudly at that joke. "And she made Nico speechless tonight, which almost none of us can do. She's had a bit of a rough week and didn't show up to dinner or the singalong last night, so let's give her a warm welcome!" he requested in that happy-go-lucky tone. Everyone clapped. A few of my friends hooted.

He smiled at me, handing me the mic. My anxieties scurried out of my mind, and I breathed slowly, turning to look at the hundreds of faces judging me, examining me, testing me in silence.

"Thanks, guys. It's been a weird few days. From the drinking cups that can summon strawberry soda to lessons in Ancient Greek, I can say this will be a very strange summer. But I'm so grateful to have friends who have been supporting me and keeping me mentally stable, which in itself is a rarity these days." People laughed and snickered, a few snorting loudly enough for even me to hear.

"The only downside is that I miss my mom. Yeah, boo-freaking-hoo. I know. I hate being _that_ kid. But my mom and I were super close. It hurt when she told me to leave yesterday, and I'm still dealing with that." I breathed slowly, smiling a bit more in an attempt to seem more personable and relaxed. "This one goes out to her. I love you, Amma. No matter what's going down, you're always there for me. Stay strong, okay? And don't worry about me. I'll manage."

Most of the girls cooed at that, the guys just guffawing quietly or rolling their eyes. Yes, I am childish and dramatic. No, I don't care enough about anyone's opinion to stop being childish and dramatic.

My lips and vocal cords began moving before I even decided what to sing. The words and notes flowed instinctually. An old Malayalam lullaby my mom sang to me before I could even comprehend the world around me. She sang it whenever I asked, whether I was two or twelve. She never denied me this song, especially if she knew I was already having a bad day.

I knew no one from Apollo would play any kind of background music for this song. I didn't mind because I knew they were too busy trying to comprehend the actual words I was singing to even think of playing music.

The song was fairly short, but it felt like forever. Three minutes became three years, and I lost myself in the melody. By the time I had finished the song, my cheeks wore streaks of tears like tiger stripes, and my eyes blushed red far worse than my nose. Will paused to reenter reality before pulling me into a hug and rubbing my back. Everyone clapped again, most of the girls also wearing their tears, while the guys simply smiled. It was a good feeling, not failing at something I knew I wasn't super good at.

I hurried back up to my friends and huddled between them, sandwiched between Emilia's warm, sweet voice and Jonah's tough, childish comforts. I smiled through my tears and hugged them, relieved that I hadn't embarrassed myself during the performance.

Jonah leaned against my arm and yawned. "That was a good song, though. It was pretty. Where did you learn it?" I coiled an arm around his small shoulders and hummed.

"My mom sang it to me a lot. She sings it whenever I ask, no matter how old I get. It's my favorite song of hers." Emilia scooted closer to me, rubbing my back with a broad, strong hand. I continued explaining quietly about the song and my history with my mom and different stories from my childhood.

Emilia smiled, leaning her head against my shoulder as her eyes began to slowly close, eyelids drooping from long-existing exhaustion. I kissed her forehead, trying to not disturb her too much. "Just sleep. I'll wake you when the campfire thing is done, okay?" Her eyes closed completely, a weak hum slipping from her lips as she drifted off into deep sleep. I watched the rest of the campfire, trying to not sing too loudly and wake my sleeping friend. Unbeknownst to me, even little Jonah had fallen asleep on my arm. I only realized that when he rubbed his face into my side, having dug under my arm to get closer.

Sighing, I adjusted my comatose companions so they wouldn't fall over or awaken with a crick in their back or anything else.

The singalong resumed quickly after the first portion, with songs in Greek and English. Some of them even originated from the radio, usually pop songs that the majority of the campers knew well.

The night tapered away with the heavy patter of campers' footsteps, each satiated soul stumbling back to its home with joy bubbling through lips sticky from marshmallow fluff and eyes soft from hours singing of elation and adventure. My friends awoke with doe eyes and infant smiles, clinging to my hands as we made the journey back to our cabin. Connor passed us by, smiling as he waited at the door and huddled the others into the room.

Everyone took their spaces and fell asleep quickly, the fingers of slumber having pulled at their minds since dinner ended.

I tucked Jonah in for the night, pressing a kiss to his brow as he settled into simple white cotton sheets and a comforter of the most beautiful royal blue and grey.

Emilia spoke to me softly awhile, the two of us seated in my little corner, our backs leaned against the wall. We clasped hands weary from the day's activities, and she leaned against me after a moment. I urged her up and into her bed, the two of us exchanging kisses on the cheeks until she could no longer keep her eyes open.

Connor joined me in my corner, and we talked until midnight. Everyone had already fallen asleep when he first sat down, so there was no worry of disturbing anyone's rest.

"Chiron asked me to bring you to the counselor meeting tomorrow. There are some things he wants you to see and testify about…" he murmured into the darkness.

I simply nodded. "Any specific time?"

He smiled dimly. "Before breakfast tomorrow. A bit early, but we need the information as soon as possible." I nodded once again and sighed. He hummed in the empty space. "How was your first real day here?"

My mind wandered back to the events of that day. So many activities. So much learned. So much experienced. "Overwhelming," I began, "but well worth it. I liked it. I was pretty bad at stuff, but I made some good friends, and that's really the best part of it."

"Good…don't let me scare you with this, but we have to do rock-climbing tomorrow."

I sighed. "The lava one?"

He chuckled, nodding. "The lava one."

"Ughhh. Alright. Not like I can get away from it. Thanks for the heads up, though." I looked at him and asked carefully, afraid of offending or startling him, "Did you ever meet your dad, Connor?"

The handsome, mirthful face darkened and looked away briefly before turning back to me. "Once. The Battle for Olympus had just ended. Everyone was headed up there because Percy was handling the battle strategy. I saw my dad for the first time. Both my brother and I did, but we didn't even talk to him." His voice softened with the cool burn of nostalgia. "Annabeth Chase from the Athena cabin gave us a mission of leading camp into the city. We felt so great about being entrusted with such a huge job right in front of our dad."

I turned a few degrees to face him better as he continued speaking.

"It was awesome. We saw him once or twice more after the battle was won and the gods celebrated with us. It was nice. We didn't talk much then either, but it felt good to be acknowledged." He paused and stared down at me, an eyebrow raised. "Why'd you ask?"

I shrugged, smiling mildly. "I guess I just wanna know what it's like. Seems like most of the people here have never met their godly parent. That's kind of sad, honestly. Why do the gods never visit or talk to you guys?"

Connor smiled again, this time with what looked like the burden of experiencing events beyond his years weighing down on his heart. "Anu, that's the thing. The gods are gods. They can't be bothered to come down here just because they have children. Sounds shitty, but it is how it is. These guys are always busy. They have to maintain the world. It'd be unfair to expect them to come down here all the time."

"Well, it doesn't have to be all the time. Maybe once a month or something? Maybe at the end of the month so all their kids can come in and the family can meet up as a whole. That's not asking much," I reasoned. There was no way someone can justify never seeing their child because they're busy. That's the excuse of rich heartless people and abusive people alike.

He shook his head. "That's just not how this works, Anu. They may be our parents, but they don't bend to our will unless we save them, and that's only extreme cases like the Battle of Olympus and the war against Gaea. Those aren't a daily occurrence." With a sad smile, he patted my shoulder. "Get some rest. You still have a lot more to do tomorrow. Don't think too hard on this stuff, or your head will explode. Goodnight, Anu."

As he stood up, I smiled back, unable to push down my frustration about these terrible, magical parents. "Goodnight, Connor."

I fell asleep once again with my mind drowning in its own tumultuous musings, unable to put aside my concerns and unnecessarily righteous beliefs that the gods, powerful as they are, should have to spend time with their kids beyond meetings in Olympus or whatever the hell happens here.


	3. I Talk to a Necklace

The next morning started off weirder than I anticipated.

I am not a morning person at all. I hate getting up early, and if I could, I would just sleep for the rest of my life and never wake up except for food, drink, and excretory functions. Sleep was a better friend to me than anyone else I'd met before I came to Camp Half-Blood.

But that morning, my eyes flew open an hour before the sun's first light. I tried my hardest to fall asleep again, to try and induce the feeling of exhaustion with nothing but sheer willpower, but nothing worked. I couldn't fall asleep.

So, I gave into my weird new experience unwillingly and got up, rubbing my face to clear it of some of the oils that had built up in my sleep. I dunno, my skin gets oilier than most others'. I gathered my necessary items like my toiletries and headed down to the showers, choosing to take my time and enjoy the crisp air flushing the camp with coolness just before sunrise.

Despite my disdain for how early I arose that day, I found myself adoring the feeling of being ready before everyone else and peacefully going through my morning routine.

My feet practically floated as they carried me back to the Hermes cabin. My hands, rough from years of constant pencil-induced calluses and powering through chores, grasped my knives gently and tucked them into my belt loops, snapping the hooks closed before I turned to leave again.

The sky, previously glaring down at me with its glimmering black velvet when I first awoke and left for the shower, had suddenly flourished into glorious tones of peach, pink, and purple, screaming its greeting to the world.

Mind empty, simply contemplating the feeling of _being_ in this stupidly beautiful world, I allowed my legs to travel wherever they wanted, and I found myself hiking up the side of a hill adjacent to the camp's entrance.

It really was the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen.

The hill wasn't nearly as tall as the others, but it felt more special. Two trees stood side by side at the top of it, sentinels keeping watch over the low, grassy lands on either side of the incline, with other hills cuddled up beside this one. Small plants and fungi and little animal burrows lined a careless winding pathway that ended at the summit. And upon reaching the top, my breath sprinted out of my lungs, and I gazed in awe at the view: the sun, vibrant orange like the ripest mango on the planet, peeked out from behind the horizon, tossing streaks of orange, pink, coral, purple, white, and pale blue throughout the vast sky above, as if the sun was a deity who, upon seeing the dreadful state that nighttime had left planet Earth in, stepped over the land and gave it new life and health, bringing back the joy and love Earth should have experienced.

I choked on the tears filling my eyes, and I knelt down between the massive arbors on either side of me, my heart burning from the sheer reverence I felt. Face wetting from the tear droplets that snuck from my eyes, I bowed down, pressing my forehead and palms to the grass below me.

The wind, that mother of cool touch and sweet understanding, rushed over my skin like a caress, petting my cheeks and the backs of my hands.

I sat up again, still kneeling, but just watching the heavenly events of dawn unfold before me.

Stumbling to my feet, I moved instinctively. I only realized later that I had been doing the _sūrya abhivādyam_, more commonly known as Sun salutations among American yoga classes. My mom taught me the _sūrya abhivādyam_ when I still waddled around like an uncoordinated penguin of three years. She made me do it every single morning.

At first, she asked me to do it for religious reasons, claiming that God would be happy if I did it in the morning. And, innocent child I am, I wanted to make everyone happy, including God. So, I did as my mom asked and did the Sun salutations. Later on, she told me it was for health reasons, and I believed her, so I did them. Now, even though my mom wasn't there to tell me to do the Sun salutations, I did them because it felt natural. It felt right.

Once I did my three repetitions, I sat down on the grass and rested with my back leaned up against the right-hand tree. I played with the grass under my hands and simply observed the dawn until my internal clock told me I needed food.

Unfortunately, my internal to-do list reminded me I had to meet with the counselors, and I pouted all the way to the Big House because I had to go talk to people like a mature teen when really, I just wanted some breakfast.

I expected to see maybe a little group meeting. Perhaps some donuts and coffee and orange juice and a whiteboard with brainstorming ideas all over it. I was not expecting a room full of campers wearing faces of grim curiosity and eyes dark with dread no matter the actual color. Each person seemed to melt down into their shoes like heated wax, softer and more tired with each whisper of a breath.

On my way inside, I asked a satyr, basically a person who's half goat and half human, where the counselor meeting was taking place. He graciously pointed me in the right direction, and I followed his words carefully, trying to listen for the sound of angry or quiet conversation.

I knocked on a closed door and jumped back when the door flew open, revealing Connor looking exhausted and unable to hold down his anger. My words caught in my throat, but he held a hand out and guided me in as I walked forward.

He sighed and motioned to everyone with an open hand and swept his arm over the group. "Everyone, this is Anusha. Anusha, these are the head counselors of Camp Half-Blood. If Hermes isn't your dad, you'll move into the cabins of one of these people." The poor guy attempted to give me a welcoming smile, but it fell short and appeared more like a helpless grimace than a warm grin.

I just laughed awkwardly and waved to everyone, taking a seat on the opposite side of the ping pong table, around which everyone huddled. My mind vaguely noticed a nacho cheese machine against one wall of the odd room. Clearly, this place wasn't intended for actual meetings.

Everyone looked at me peculiarly, war-weary eyes scrutinizing every aspect of my behavior and appearance with uncanny focus. For people with ADHD, these guys really observed me closely.

A guy with locks of gold and sky blue eyes asked the first question while holding up the necklace Connor showed me the previous day. I recognized him as Nico's boyfriend Will. "What do you know about this thing?" he demanded. His voice reminded me of something familiar. Something warm and loving and comfortable. I couldn't recall what, but I found myself relaxing despite his harsh tone.

I explained as calmly as I could. "That's the Hope Diamond. It's a really famous historical artifact that's supposedly cursed. My mom told me when I was young that the Hope Diamond was actually part of a larger gem that the British broke apart after stealing it from India. She said the stone was actually the eye of a valuable statue of the divine being known as Sita, who's the wife of Ram, one of Vishnu's avatars. The diamond is said to be cursed by the goddess because it was taken from her and her people. It was passed around to a bunch of people, but each person died until it landed in a museum and was kept there for a while with no access for the public." I tried to ignore my own internal questions, the first of which was how a bunch of magical teens got hold of such an expensive and dangerous artifact without international news getting in on the story and the Interpol trying to capture them.

The blond-haired guy sighed in relief and looked around at his peers, giving them an 'I told you so!' look. They rolled their eyes but turned to me again.

Connor sat in one of the chairs closest to my left and clasped his hands together, watching me hesitantly. "Yeah. That is the Hope Diamond. And yes. It is cursed. So your instincts were right yesterday. We don't know who actually cursed it, like whether or not the stuff you just told us is accurate or if it's just a story. We're trying to figure that out right now."

I nodded, listening without much understanding.

"The reason we don't want this getting to other campers is that people have died for this diamond. People have killed for it. And suddenly, it showed up in the Nemesis cabin yesterday. They're under oath by the Styx to not tell anyone. Damien, here, their counselor, brought it to our attention after informing Chiron and Mr. D. You know this too, now."

I frowned and looked down before returning my gaze to Connor's face. "Why am I here, then? Beyond knowing what this thing is. You guys clearly already figured that part out."

Nico di Angelo grunted at me from his place near the darker area of the room. "Because you're the only one who didn't react to it with violence. Other people who've touched it went to very extreme measures. Some have tried to kill themselves. Some have stabbed and maimed others. Some have even murdered while trying to keep the stone for themselves. You are the only one to touch it and not behave with unruly, murderous actions."

I raised an eyebrow. "Hard to believe. I mean, all of you guys are so calm and collected and stuff."

A giant Asian dude with muscles bigger than my entire skull scowled at me like I'd just poured sewage into his shoes. "When I touched that thing, I tried to fuckin' throttle Solace here. Leo tried to off himself by lighting everything on fire. Lou Ellen basically attempted to curse the actual life out of Gardiner. If all of us can't handle touching the thing, but you can, it means this shit has something to do with you. We've been at this game so long, kid. We know what certain kinds of magic do to us. But this isn't something we've seen before, and it doesn't fuck with you like it did with us. That's why you're here."

Will stepped around his fellow head counselors and stood in front of me, holding the necklace out again. "I want you to touch this thing. Hold it. Interact with it. If anything goes wrong, we'll take care of it. But I want to see what Connor saw yesterday."

My hands didn't want to move. They wanted to stay in their spot holding onto one another in my lap, but that wasn't an option. So, I grasped the gold chain with both hands gingerly, as if they were the wires of a bomb about to detonate in the room. The guy hurried back to his original spot, and I positioned the necklace differently, holding the pendant in my left palm while touching the gem with the fingers of the other hand.

Again, my mind zoned out entirely. The world vanished. Darkness enveloped my thoughts, and I began leaning into it, accepting the smothering sensation of the gem's magic. I allowed it to snatch my breath away and drown me in its own power.

But it didn't feel unkind. The magic seemed desperate and clingy more than anything, like a friend who has lived life so alone that, upon finding the companionship of others, clutches onto them with all the might of God. My inhibitions and fears and resistance fell away, disintegrating with a huff and a puff.

The gem began whimpering, yearning for me, straining to reach me and grasp me and speak to me. Again, I allowed it to approach. It was just scared. It just needed love. I wouldn't hurt it or deny it love. The gem clung to me, spewing out waves of energy as if letting out its woes with pulses of power. It calmed down once I calmly explained who I was and who my mother was and why I was in the room and what I intended to do to it.

(I don't actually know why I decided to give those details, but I guess I believed that creatures of magic associate you with your family and your heritage, so I decided to mention my mom.) The gem listened patiently and explained itself. It was stuck. It just wanted to go home, but the mean old magician locked it away and never let it breathe. It wanted its family and nothing more. It hurt people who wanted to hide it away or steal it or keep it from the world.

I asked why it had to hurt people, and the stone replied that revenge was the only way people learned not to hurt others. I said that wasn't true, but the stone just sighed and disagreed again. I asked if I could talk to it again because I knew I had to be somewhere later, even though I couldn't remember the place exactly.

The stone told me it would talk whenever I wanted. It just wanted a friend, and I was nice and didn't want to keep it locked away, so it trusted me.

The stone gave me a feeling like it was trying to convey a smile with sensation rather than sight, and it let me go. I flew out of my trance with an almost painful inhale. Everyone stared at me with varying levels of disgust, shock, and awe.

Nico just stared at me as if I had grown an ear on my forehead and rubbed his eyes. Will Solace looked at the son of Hades and sighed, pausing before looking at the others.

They all seemed to concur with a beautiful young woman with flowing dark hair and eyes like the newest leaves during the peak of spring who said one simple sentence: "This has become a much bigger issue than we thought it would be."

* * *

Connor basically kicked me out after telling me to never speak of this issue to anyone.

Well, that's nice. I learned how much weirder I am than previously believed. Choosing to not give a fuck, I shrugged and happily strolled down to the Hermes cabin to check on my other cabin-mates. Most of them had woken up, but some were freaking out. Two girls were sitting in bed, crying and not getting out of their beds even when everybody hurried down to the showers to go first.

Expecting a very specific answer, I approached the girls and sat on one of their beds. The brunette to whom the bed belonged glanced around and then looked at me with big, tearful orbs of emerald and whimpered. The poor thing appeared like a wounded animal, knees curled up to her chest with her covers over her lap as she tried to not break down again. Warm brown hair poked out in several different directions, and tear-stained tanned cheeks blushed red from all the crying.

"Sweetie, what happened?" I put on my best mom voice and smiled gently, resting my hands in my lap.

She whimpered again. "My bed has…blood…on it."

I sighed. Poor girls. This was going to be a shitty day for them. I smiled calmly and held out my hand, offering some kind of support. She grasped my hand with unexpectedly powerful hands. I cooed gently and patted her knuckles. "Did anyone explain this stuff to you, honey?"

She shook her head, clenching her almond eyes closed. Seriously, what the fuck? Do people really not teach their kids this shit?

"Okay. Well. Let's get you up and out of bed. I'll teach you guys this shit after you've gotten ready for the day. Come on now." I stood up with a little hop, and when they didn't stand and looked at one another fearfully, I sighed and kneeled beside them. The other girl, a redhead with sweet chocolate eyes and pink cheeks, mumbled out, "What if people make fun of us?"

I promised as kindly as I could, "I will whoop their asses. Menstruation is not a joke or a punchline. The only punch will come from me to their faces. Now. I'm sure you guys want to get cleaned up, yeah?"

They nodded slowly and climbed out of bed, clenching their legs tightly together. I smiled weakly and patted their shoulders. "See? You did it! I'm so proud of you guys. That's always the hardest. The first step. Now. Find a hoodie for each of you and tie it around your waist. Your pajamas are a bit too light-colored for people to not notice."

They each pulled a dark hoodie from their bags and tied it around themselves, ensuring no one could see the backs of their pants.

I pulled their comforters off the beds and yanked off the loose sheets, bunching them up and carrying them under my arm. "Get your shower stuff. Get yourselves cleaned up. I've gotta head down to the store to pick up some stuff, okay?"

They nodded and headed down to the showers, shower totes in hand and hesitant confidence in their eyes.

I made sure they were on their way before dropping the laundry off at the Big House washing machines. (Who the fuck would want to live in unwashed clothes?)

After that, I sprinted all the way to the store and, panting way too much, purchased several menstruation products from a couple of different brands and in a few sizes. Of course, I ended up spending almost thirty dollars, which sucked, but this was for the girls, so I didn't mind. I was just glad the camp store sold pads and tampons and shit like that, considering most public schools don't even do that.

I rushed back to the showers, where I found my girls just waiting in the showers after everyone else had finished and gotten dressed. I asked them to put on their towels and sit on the bench lining one wall of the building. They wrapped themselves up and sat down. Bless them, they'd chosen black towels.

"Alright. You girls got your underwear?" They nodded, faces slowly flushing red. I smiled. "Nothing to be embarrassed about. This is just how we live. Now. Do either of you know how to use tampons and prefer them?" Both shook their heads. I sighed. "Okay. Pads, then. At least, until we can get some time to talk about stuff. Okay. Both of you grab your underwear and flip it inside out."

They rummaged through their bags and pulled out their panties, their faces even redder than before. "Now, flip 'em inside out and make sure that the front of the underwear is facing you. No, honey, not like- yeah! There ya go. Okay. Good."

I asked them, trying to not sound weird, "Does it feel like a lot of blood is coming out? As in, is it like coming down along your legs, or is there not much coming out at all?"

The redhead frowned. "There isn't too much."

The brunette girl scowled. "I think it's a lot."

I nodded. "In that case, you can use something a little lighter. You've got a lighter flow, so you can use something meant for that. Pads are designed for different amounts of blood and stuff. So if you've got a heavier flow, use the bigger size. If it's not that heavy, use the smaller size. Same goes for tampons."

I handed them each the appropriate size of pad and pulled up a shower stool, sitting lower than them. "The first step, open up the pad wrapper." They made confused and amused faces when they saw the actual pad.

"This looks like a diaper."

"That's because we have to deal with taking everyone else's bullshit about how periods are gross. And about how girls don't fart, poo, or pee. Which is fucking stupid." They giggled and rolled their eyes. "Okay. Now, peel it off of the actual wrapper. See the front part where it kind of dips inwards and is a bit wider than the back? That should be what covers your actual privates. The other side is the backside." They still seemed confused, so I had to point out and explain in some more detail where each side of the pad goes. Once they understood that, I moved to the next part.

"Now, put it on your underwear with the same places aligning. Front parts go with front parts. Back parts go with back parts." They placed the pads on very carefully, trying to get them positioned correctly. "Make sure that the pad is high enough to catch all the blood, but not too high. You don't want it to go past the band of your panties. Yeah, that's it. Good job."

I grinned. "Now. Wings. They are critical. They're the flaps on the pad that go around the underwear to hold the pad in place. Never get pads without wings. Take off the wax paper thingies and pull the wings out. Yes, exactly like that. Now wrap them around the panties- YES! You girls are geniuses. It took me ten minutes to figure this out on my own. So well done. Nice job. Okay. Maybe get back in the shower for a minute to wash off the blood and then put on your panties and clothes and stuff. I'll give you guys the entire talk later. We all need some food."

They nodded, both tweens giving me hugs before rushing back into the shower stalls. Exhausted by the experience, I called out to them, "I'll always have some if you need some, girls!" They shouted their thanks, and I hurried back to the Hermes cabin to put the products in my backpack before speeding down to the pavilion.

Naomi greeted me with a hug when she saw me. "Hey, Anusha! How are you?!" I couldn't help the huge smile that came to my lips.

"I'm great, Naomi. You?"

"Awesome! Where have you been? Connor had been looking for you. Aha! Speak of the Devil." I turned around to see Connor stalking up to me with amused disapproval on his face.

"Where have you been?"

I grinned again. "Teaching tween girls how to use pads."

He winced. "Our girls?"

"Yep. Redhead and brunette. They couldn't get out of bed this morning from embarrassment. I got them out and to the showers. Took care of their sheets. They're in the washer but need to go in the dryer soon. Also got them menstrual stuff from the store, which was a relief. I didn't have enough on me to share with two more girls for the entire summer," I explained. He chuckled and patted my arm.

"Nice job. Thanks for taking care of that. I definitely wouldn't have handled that with grace."

I laughed and rolled my eyes, crossing both arms. "Because you're a dude or because you're a mess?"

He winked. "Both."

The three of us laughed, and Naomi promised to catch up once we got some free time. She headed back to her cabin's table, and I joined Connor. "I thought the meeting was still going on."

"They finished quickly. We have a lot to do at Hermes. We have a lot of new kids still…"

I nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Do you guys have a puberty talk video thing whatever?"

He frowned. "Uh, I think I remember someone mentioning that, but I've been here so long, I honestly can't think of anything off the bat."

"What? But you guys have more tweens than actual high school kids or elementary school kids. This is when you need actual puberty talks and shit."

He snorted. "You can do that if you want, but the counselors are mostly too awkward to talk about that. Except maybe Will and Malcolm."

I was already thinking of a curriculum.

"Who can I talk to about starting a program like that?"

He coughed, clearly not expecting that response from me. "Uh, Chiron, I think. But yeah, just ask. Maybe get some books from the Apollo kids. I think they have a lot of medical stuff if you need diagrams or posters or whatever."

I beamed, nodding and patting his arm. "Thanks, bro. Did everyone eat already?"

Connor shrugged. "Most of 'em, yeah. Some are still chowing down. We'll wait for you and the girls to eat before we go to the activities for today. We start out with running races and stuff with the dryads. They're awesome at it, but that's also kind of a Hermes specialty."

"Ughhhh." I pouted and plopped down near the edge of the bench, taking a plate of food from a pretty dryad with ebony hair, emerald skin, and sunshine eyes.

I shoveled food into my mouth as quickly as possible. It was all really good. A fresh croissant with jam, plain corn flakes with bananas and walnuts and milk, an apple, and an amazing spinach smoothie. It tasted more like mango, but I wasn't complaining.

The girls joined me a few minutes later, both tired and clearly uncomfortable. I laughed a bit, attempting to appear lighthearted rather than rude. "Yeah, running on your cycle isn't fun. Try just for the sake of it, but if it gets to be too much, maybe sit it out."

They nodded and groaned, sitting beside me. "I'll tell you both more when we get a free hour." Again, they bobbed their heads.

Both ate quicker than I did. Seriously, kids are eating machines, man. It was weird as hell.

What was weirder was that I could see their pain. I felt somewhat disgusted by myself, but I couldn't help seeing what I saw. Their pain was more of an erratic oval with roots growing in all directs from the center of the pain. I felt so bad for them. The brunette felt a lot more pain, obvious from the larger oval, but I still worried for both of them. Having to run while on your cycle is pretty fucking hard. I would know. I'm a period veteran of almost five years.

(I made up the term period veteran. It just means someone who's dealt with menstruation for a long time. Do the math. I was fourteen when I first came to camp. I was a period veteran for five years. When did I first get my period? If you're not horrified by the answer, you need a lot of math tutoring, my friend. Or a calculator.)

Nevertheless, I was excited. I wanted to know just how fast Hermes kids are.

* * *

Bruh, they are FUCKING FAST.

Connor sprinted past everyone without breaking a sweat. I was close to crying by the end of the run.

I knew they weren't human because humans don't run as fast as cheetahs. I will never understand the anatomy or physiology of Hermes kids. While everyone else had aching legs and burning feet, the Hermes kids looked like they just took a brisk jog through the forest rather than several miles of running. The dryads were even faster, but that's because they didn't have the human restrictions for movement and ability that the Hermes kids did.

The nine of us new kids were really winded by the end of the run. It was like a massacre of the lungs. One kid turned bright red and almost passed out had Connor not handed him a bottle of water.

Emilia and I collapsed to the ground. We could not deal with how much running sucked. I was kind of jealous of our two young tween friends who, despite being on their cycle, ran faster than we did. I was so embarrassed.

But after that, we had to go climbing on the lava rock, and that embarrassment morphed into unadulterated terror in a matter of half a second.

I have stated a few times that I am not great at the rough physical activities like running and fighting. I expected the same of this rock climbing thing. I figured I would probably burn myself or catch on fire multiple times or just die.

Somehow, by some miracle, I survived. Not only did I survive, but also most of my clothes and skin were intact. I only had first degree burns, scratched palms, a few scrapes on my knees, and a slight head injury. My burns were in the tens, but that's not a big deal because they were all first degree. Some of the other kids got second degree. One poor unfortunate soul got a third-degree burn, and Connor had to rush him down to the infirmary for some quick treatment.

Most of us got first aid from the satyr who was teaching us to climb the wall. He was actually really sweet and charming in a gruff way. He was definitely harder on the girls than the boys, but that's because he said we had it far worse and would have to do more to survive than the guys.

He isn't wrong.

Emilia was one of the unlucky ones who got a couple of second-degree burns. I held her hand while the satyr gently rubbed some kind of salve on her other elbow, which had begun to blister.

She pushed through it with no tears. Not even a whimper of pain. My respect for the girl skyrocketed. I whimpered at my first degree burns and scratches, but she just laughed at a second degree burn like it was no big deal.

The next activity was much more therapeutic and comforting and fun.

Arts and crafts.

While I am not, by any means, artistic in the traditional sense, I'm pretty good with knitting. So I sat and knitted for almost an hour. I made half of a scarf in that time, which I spent explaining puberty and female reproductive health to the two young ladies on their cycle. They had never had the talk from their parents, which is so stupid and quite dangerous, but thanked me for explaining it in a way that wasn't too awkward or scary or uncomfortable. I just said my own thanks for the compliments and just sat in silence, calmly working on the scarf as I tried to help myself get over the events I'd experienced over the past three days.

In the back of my mind, I realized something was coming my way. I had no idea what, but I vaguely guessed that I should duck before it hit me in the head. I leaned forward, and I felt the whistling of a knitting needle whiz past me and land in the easel frame of a young woman's painting of a bowl of packing peanuts. I looked up to see who'd thrown the knitting needle at me and squinted when I spotted a group of guys laughing and snickering childishly. Wanting to feel the sweet, cold kiss of revenge, I grabbed one of my own knitting needles and threw it at one's head. He yelped and nearly fell over while trying to get away from it. At first, I didn't see where it landed, but I later realized it had lodged itself into the clay head of a Shaggy Rogers from Scooby-Doo. I winced and shouted an apology to the carver of said clay head, who actually turned out to be my smol friend Jonah. He laughed and accepted the apology.

The dudes gaped at me and when I glared at them, they looked away quickly and started to whistle, pretending nothing had happened.

I grumbled and returned to my knitting peacefully until Connor announced that we were heading to the stables. I just about screamed with joy. Ever since I was a kid, I was OBSESSED with horses. I loved them so much. They're such beautiful, dramatic, powerful creatures. I mean, I'm terrified of horses. Don't get me wrong. They are animals of great strength, and I would die pathetically happy if a horse killed me either by accident or on purpose. But horses are just so majestic. There's not a more beautiful creature on Earth. Except for the pegasi of this place, which are just horses with wings, which are probably even prettier than normal horses.

Sorry. This is what I meant when I said I'm obsessed with horses. I could talk about them for hours. I did. One time. I was just finishing fifth grade, and I talked to my mom about a field trip where my class went to a farm, and I got to pet a horse and feed it. My little heart was just so overjoyed that I got to see and touch and interact with my favorite animal. Amma couldn't help but smile and listen as I blabbed about horses for, I kid you not, two and a half hours.

In fact, I loved horses more than anyone else in my schools. I had so many collections of horse dolls and toys. I had the biggest collection of horses compared to all of the kids living in my apartment building. I was the envy of the girls in elementary school. My mom took me for equestrian lessons one time, but the teacher had to cancel because the horse got sick. The lessons were too expensive for my mother to try and make another appointment. Also, neither of us liked that place because they didn't even return the two hundred dollars we had to pay for a single lesson. My mom had to pay the money. I was upset because I knew that losing more than fifty dollars meant I wouldn't get a nice birthday present like my mom usually got me every year.

But otherwise, I still loved horses. I still do, even to this day.

So, when I heard we were going to learn how to ride pegasi, my heart just about exploded with elation. This was the best day ever.

Emilia stared at me when I returned my attention to the scarf. After a few minutes of great discomfort due to her scrutinizing looks, I turned to her and dared to ask, "What are you looking at?"

She replied with a tone of sheer disbelief and confusion, "Without looking, you just dodged a knitting needle that was being thrown at you, and then threw one yourself with one look at the group. What the fuck is your life, Anusha?" I rolled my eyes while groaning.

"How in the world am I supposed to know that?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Because you're you, stupid."

"Don't call me stupid, that's my job!" I retorted. Emilia shot me a look crossed between extreme pity and unbridled exasperation and complete confusion.

"You need a psychologist," she replied slowly.

I shrugged, tucking my scarf and the skein of yarn under my arm. "Don't we all?"

"No."

"Whatever."

She sighed and shook her head, her face bright with amused dismay at her perception of my apparent stupidity. She's such an asshole, but I love her anyway.

"So whatcha make today? I knitted a scarf! I think I'm gonna try and give it to someone that really influences me this summer," I explained with embarrassment seeping from my face like light through the canopy of a rainforest.

She laughed, tossing an arm around me. "Even with you trying to act all cool and fun, you're still such a softie. That's adorable, Anu. Is that someone gonna be making out with you by the end of the summer, or is it more like a friend kind of thing?" I pushed her face away and huffed.

"Here I am, trying to be cute as fuck, and you go ruin my purity. So rude. No, that person will not have a tongue down my throat. Ugh, you're gross. Maybe it'll be a sibling or a friend or a family member or teacher. Who even knows? I don't know what's gonna happen in summer yet, so we'll just have to see," I muttered out while collecting my items and standing. Emilia giggled as she rose to her feet, arms full of the many sketches she drew during the hour.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just curious to see if you would get into a relationship with anyone here. Everyone's just so pretty, I kinda want to know what you think," she explained with a smile ready to burst with laughter.

I sighed, shrugging my shoulders. "I dunno. Everyone here _is_ pretty, but that's kind of scary, ya know? You don't know who to trust or who to avoid. I would prefer being with someone from school, but that's scary too. I'm a super cautious person at heart. My mom is kind of part of that. She had me out of marriage, which was unheard of in her village. They basically forced her out, and she became a refugee on her own. If we'd stayed there, she would have suffered a lot, and I even more so. She brought us to the States for safety, but she taught me to trust only those you would die for. So far, I have only met three people I believe that about…"

Emilia raised both eyebrows as I told my story. We'd begun walking towards the rest of the group, who were collected around Connor as he led them out to the next activity. "Who are they?"

My lips smiled before I could tell them to chill out. "You, Jonah, and Connor. You three really are kind of my saving graces." She hugged me before I could stop her, and I saw her cheeks and eyes redden from the start of waterworks when she pulled away. "Oh, stop crying. I talk like that all the time. You better get used to it if we're gonna be friends." Emilia laughed and hugged me again.

"God, you're so cute. You need to stop being so nice. People will walk all over you."

I grinned. "That's only if I lay down for them, stupid. Don't ever lay down for anyone. Don't even kneel unless they're going to kill you or if you respect them. The closer you get to the ground, the easier it is for people to walk on you like you yourself are the ground."

She smirked, punching my arm as we strolled towards the stables after the others. "Is that an Anusha quote or just general advice?"

I winked, laughing as I whispered conspiratorially, "Both!"

Safe to say, we would have died of laughter had we not stopped to watch the majesty of pegasi.

* * *

I just about cried with joy.

They were the most beautiful creatures I'd ever seen in my entire life, and I would have given up everything just to watch them and take care of them every day.

My cheeks and eyes and throat prepared themselves for the onslaught of tears and sniffling that would befall them in the moments following the first time I saw the pegasi. My heart was ready to burst.

Emilia seemed just as enamored by them as I was, but then again, I didn't care about her at that moment. I just was in love with the pegasi and their gorgeous coats and the way the light caught their wings and illuminated them and the way their manes waved in the air and the way their muscles rippled under their glorious skin. I was ready to give up my life to save a pegasus. That's all I ever wanted from life at that moment. I wanted to die for one of those heavenly creatures.

Suddenly, all the Hermes campers made a large arc around one central figure, whose face I couldn't yet see. As I moved closer and attempted to shift my focus away from the equestrians, I noticed a young girl standing in the middle of the group, azure eyes glaring all of us down as if we'd committed a crime.

I swallowed my fears of her wrath and moved closer to the others, standing behind Chris' shoulder.

Though short, the girl spoke with a voice like a goddess: loud, powerful, righteously condescending, and proud. I felt like I should be kneeling at her feet. "Welcome, idiots and fools."

Connor snickered, and the girl basically shot daggers into his face with her eyes. He rolled his eyes and grinned, then smirking when she looked away from him with an expression of exasperation and disgust.

"My name is Jesse Smith. I am one of the few great equestrians left in camp after Silena Beauregard passed on during the Titan War, and Percy Jackson left camp to go to college and live a normal life. I am going to be your pegasus-riding teacher this summer. I will give you all some very, very strict rules for interacting with these amazing creatures. If you do not follow them as I intend, I will gladly whoop you into next summer, do you understand?" Due to the fear instilled in our hearts, we all nodded quickly, except for Connor and Chris.

"Good. Now. Follow me. Each of you will first go to a pegasus and just try to earn his or her trust. Speak gently. Calmly. Do not pretend or be fake with them. They can smell your fallacies. Be slow and deliberate. Startling them will lead to grave injuries, none of which are my responsibility after the fact because I am giving you this warning right now. If one is startled by you anyways, just step away and wait for it to calm down. If it doesn't, call for me, but don't scream your lungs out. Do you understand?" Once again, we nodded quickly.

"Run along."

Chris and Connor approached two beautiful white pegasi, smiling warmly and holding their hands out for the creatures to smell them. After which, the pegasi nuzzled their hands and allowed the two guys to approach them further.

We tried to follow their lead.

Most people had pretty good luck. The pegasi didn't rear back or get upset or anything. Jonah was a bit terrified of the pegasus he approached, but the creature calmed down when Jesse introduced the child very sweetly.

I, like usual, had shitty luck.

I approached a gorgeous pegasus whose coat reminded me of that of an Akhal-Teke, the golden horses of Turkmenistan. However, the pegasus has muscles and legs much larger than the horse. Also, the pegasus was far better suited to working than the Akhal-Teke, what with the creature's massive frame would support far more weight than the slight form of the Akhal-Teke.

To my extreme disappointment, the pegasus didn't even allow me to get close enough for it to smell my hand and kind of introduce myself. It quickly grew skittish, pacing around its stable and avoiding me entirely. Its eyes of amber dilated far more than I thought was possible for an equestrian, and I stepped back to avoid the creature who so clearly despised my presence.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to cry because this beautiful being didn't trust me and saw me as dangerous. Jesse stepped towards me and frowned at the pegasus' behavior, one blonde eyebrow raised in surprise. "This is quite unusual. Ricky rarely gets this nervous around people. Did you put on any weird perfume?"

I shook my head frantically. "No! I used my usual organic body wash and shampoo and stuff. I didn't change my routine at all."

She frowned. "Why is he reacting like that, then…?"

"I dunno, man. You're the pegasus expert around here."

Jesse hummed, eyes narrowed as she observed the creature's expression and body language. "I think I remember someone saying that the pegasi reacted the same way around Nico di Angelo. Maybe he has some answers. Connor!"

The son of Hermes was already bringing his walkie talkie up to his lips. "On it!"

Still dejected from the pegasus' rejection, I sighed and sat near the door to the stables, not wanting to face the beautiful creature who so greatly feared and perhaps hated me. Jesse sat beside me and patted my shoulder. "There are many reasons he reacted like that, girl. Don't lose hope just yet. This stuff is complicated. I'm not an expert. I just understand them better than most. Percy would be an expert. He can speak to the Pegasi. It takes a while for them to get used to new campers."

"Yeah, but no one else's got that scared of them." I sighed and rubbed my face. "It feels like every time I'm making some positive ground here, I end up going back to square one. Like my entire life is just a practical joke by the universe, and I'm the fool who keeps standing back up and hoping for better, even though it'll never happen. Talk about dramatic irony. I know it sounds silly, but…"

Jesse remained silent for what felt like hours but was only a few minutes. "When I was a kid, one of my grandpa's horses kicked me so hard I broke four ribs, cracked my skull, almost shattered my ulna, and tore three muscles in my abdomen."

I don't remember how long I stared. "How are you alive?"

She smiled, which probably took my breath away. My first impression of her was that she took no shit and didn't give a fuck about being soft towards people or showing she had a heart. Clearly, that wasn't the case. "My mom Demeter. She saw my love for the horse even though it hurt me so much and completely healed me out of pity. I better understood horses and their power from that day. I learned that they aren't just dogs or cats or fish. They're far more complex than we give them credit for. But, no matter how much that horse feared or despised me, I showed it love. I applied that same philosophy to the pegasi, and they also responded the way I did. Kindly. With understanding. Without fear or spite."

I nodded slowly, watching her face carefully. She wore an expression like that of a mother whose child did not love her or care for her as deeply as she did that child. Pain and adoration and pride and suffering melted together in her eyes.

"So I guess that means I just need to love it even if it hates me."

She nodded, squeezing my shoulder. "Precisely. Come on. Nico's just walked in, and we didn't even notice."

We approached the horse, who was quietly allowing Nico to touch its face. He smiled dimly when he saw us, nodding in greeting. "So what's the deal, Jess?"

The equestrian expert shrugged. "This one has the same issue you had with the pegasi a few years ago. He won't even let her touch him, much less pet or ride him."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's really weird."

She nodded. "Exactly."

Nico held a hand out to me, and I walked towards him with caution as if I had to avoid stepping on a landmine. He took my hand and gently stretched it forward towards the pegasus, who reared back and neighed loudly. I scrambled back to avoid it, and Jesse put her hands up immediately, speaking sweetly and placating the angry creature. Tears rose to my eyes, and I had to jog away from the scene to avoid further embarrassment and heartache.

Nico followed calmly, nodding hellos to the other campers. I sat on the ground outside the stables, knees pulled up to my chest. He plopped down beside me and sighed. "I know what you're feeling."

"No, you don't. That pegasus didn't scream when you touched it."

He sighed. "Not talking about the pegasus. For many years, the camp reacted to me the same way the pegasus reacted to you. With varying levels of fear, disapproval, anger, and many other negative emotions. They looked at me like I was the bringer of all bad fortune. I felt the same way about myself. My friends numbered to one. Percy Jackson still cared for me despite everything I did to him. I lost my sister when I was ten. She was everything to me. We lost my mom at a younger age. Our dad put us in this magical hotel that keeps people alive for as long as they're there. We got out weirdly. Percy and Annabeth saved us from monsters. My sister, Bianca. She sacrificed herself to save Percy and Annabeth and the others who went on a quest. She became a Hunter of Artemis a short while before dying. They're Artemis' immortal sisters in arms. They loved her. She loved them and the freedom they offered slightly more than she loved me, so she joined them. I was going to stay at camp. Losing her…I became very dark. I was full of young rage, and I wanted to destroy everything. Whenever I came to camp, I was a bad omen. A curse. A splinter in their side. And then, something changed. I changed my decision making, and I made friends. They grew to love me. That spread to the rest of camp slowly. It was almost like a chain reaction. Domino effect, if you will. Their opinions of me changed what people thought of me here at camp."

I didn't want to respond. He continued anyway.

"I'm telling you this story because I think you're in a weird place in life. You're young. What? Fifteen? Fourteen? You're learning about how to deal with being a bit more mature. Mature enough to make decisions, but not enough to know how to make those decisions. And I think you're lost and scared. You've had disappointments. You've had failed attempts. But that doesn't mean that'll continue to happen. Just try, and things may just turn up the way you want them to. Things get better. I promise."

My heart already ached so much, I couldn't even absorb his words. Instead, I paused before speaking. "When I told you that I saw your pain, why were you so scared? Is it because you thought I was like you? A kid of Hades?"

He stopped to stare at me for a moment. He then shook his head and sighed. "No. I feared worse. That you were the child of Acheron or one of the other gods of the Underworld. Dad doesn't allow any of them to leave, and they don't want to. They don't mix well with the living world, being of the afterlife and all. My dad is a bit more Olympian-esque than those gods. They're more elemental. More erratic. They can't be controlled into a singular form. I didn't know if they could even have children with mortal women. I was scared because it would be devastating if they ever did have children with mortals. And because you're weirder and weirder by the hour, and that's concerning even to abnormal demigods like me."

I sighed. "So even here, I'm a freak. Awesome. Great to know." I groaned soon after. "I hate doing that, but it's true. I hate complaining and whining. It doesn't do shit. But it feels like I'm walking up an escalator that's going down. I keep trying, but go nowhere."

Nico sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "We just have to wait for you to get claimed, Anusha. There's not much we can do. You're an oddity, yes. But maybe you getting claimed will help a little. Finding out your parent gives a lot of opportunities to find yourself. People align themselves with their siblings and their godly parent. If you find yours, things may just get better, a little easier. Just hold out, okay?"

"Yeah…not like I have any other choice, right?" I exhaled through my nose and stood up, brushing myself off. "You stickin' around for a bit?"

He raised an eyebrow as he stood and brushed off as well. "Just a few minutes, to talk to Connor. Why?"

I frowned and bit my lip. "I wanna ask you some stuff about that um. Meeting. The one where I went with you guys," I whispered. I figured that if they kicked me out so quickly after the weird thing with the necklace, I probably shouldn't be talking about the situation openly.

Nico's expression darkened, but he nodded. "We'll take a walk after I talk to Connor, okay?"

"Okay. See ya," I mumbled as he ran off with a wave. "This shit sucks ass," I grumbled.

Like with archery, I waited out most of the hour, sitting around and listening to music with only one earbud in while I played with some grass and tried to not let myself fall into the throes of eternal self-disappointment. But, that proved far more difficult than I anticipated, likely due to the fact that half of my playlist consisted of Shania Twain's saddest hits and every depressing rock song known to man from several different languages.

When Nico returned, his face showed far more disconcertion than I thought he could feel. His eyebrows were scrunched beyond belief, and I could be wrong, but I thought I saw a few more bags under his eyes than there were previously. "Um, you good, bro? You look like Connor just gave you a notice about your death."

He snorted. "I would be so happy to receive that at this point. Come on. We got a lot to talk about."

I got to my feet and hurried after Nico, who'd already begun walking down the path to the forest. As I caught up to him, he pulled his sword from its sheath and held it out before him, seeming to prepare for some kind of battle even though nothing was going on. "Why do you have that out?" I dared to ask.

"Hm?" he ignored me for a moment before responding with an odd tone of voice. "Many dreadful things happened in the forests here. It's best to be prepared for a fight. Just in case." I nodded and kept my knives at the ready, tucking the one in my boot into my belt loop instead. He kept quiet for a couple of minutes as we strode along the edge of the forest, where the difference between the two spaces - camp and forest - appeared far more obvious than it would be from afar. "So what did you want to talk about?'

My teeth chewed at dry lips hard enough to draw blood. I really didn't want to tell him, afraid for his reaction and subsequent possible actions. But I knew that if my words stayed in my throat from then on, things might worsen with that necklace, and my silence would have caused that. "I spoke to the necklace today. Back in that room. I kind of…gave myself up to it. I let it shroud my mind, and it talked to me. It was scared, Nico. It was really scared. It wanted to go home."

Tears of fire and brimstone rose in my eyes at the thought of that voice, that entity. I was enraged for its condition, its pain. I wanted to tear down everything and everyone that hurt it.

"Some bastard magician apparently cursed the thing in the necklace and kept it locked in the gem for a long time. It was so scared. It was hurting people that wanted to keep it for themselves. It hurt them to protect itself, I think. Nico, it just wanted to go home to its family, but it's stuck and can't get out. It liked me for some reason. It said I'm nice. That I'm not like the mean ones. I asked if I could talk to it again, and almost desperately, it said I could talk to it whenever I wanted to." I frowned and rubbed at my wet cheeks. "I'm not letting go of this issue. Whatever it is. Whatever it involves. I don't care. I'm going to get that thing out of that necklace if I have to die for it. It was innocent."

My voice broke, and I began to cry.

I paused long enough to speak. "It sounded like a child, Nico. I won't leave it in there. I'm going to get it out one way or another."

Nico seemed to shake as we walked. He rubbed his face and stopped walking, staring at me with some kind of understanding and fear in his eyes. I stopped crying, walking, everything. I stared back at him. We shared some kind of cosmic understanding of the severity of the Hope Diamond situation. He stepped closer and grasped my shoulders, ebony eyes glaring right into my heart and soul. "I will try my best to include you in every process of this situation. Do I have your word that you won't speak of this to anyone unless we allow it?"

I grasped both of his hands and held them in mine, pressing his palms together. I tried to give him a look as strong as the one he gave me. "You have my word. I won't speak of this to anyone unless you guys allow me to."

He nodded and sighed, pulling back to press the heel of his hand against his temple. "You have no idea what kind of situation this is, Anusha. You have no idea. This…entity…none of this is normal. Even by demigod standards. Of course, we've fought the earth goddess and allied with Roman demigods and sent the gods' parents back to their prison and closed the Gates of Death, so this isn't as crazy. But for the recent peace we've had, this is by far the strangest we've experienced in a while."

My face contorted into a pained wince that Nico definitely noticed, based on the fact that he tried to retract his words and downplay the situation. "Nah, man, it's cool. I guess I gotta get used to all this stuff…Um. Quick question, though." I held my breath and counted back from ten to slow the tears. "Is it possible for me to talk to my mom?"

His face softened to a shocking degree. "Absolutely. I mean, kinda weird that you're asking. You have your phone, which Leo programmed so monsters can't detect it. You can use that."

I laughed nervously. "Mom is the super-paranoid type. She never trusted another man after my dad left. I mean, she's grateful that he helped us get to the States, but she never trusted men ever again. Because of that, she doesn't want anyone to be able to reach me at all should I have to run away. So that means, she doesn't trust other people with my phone, fearful that they might put a tracker in it or something. Not sure how she'd handle the idea of Leo reprogramming my phone."

Nico chuckled. "Yeah, makes sense. Come on. We've got a phone at camp that everyone uses to call home." I followed him all the way back to the Big House like a duckling, watching him duck under spears and stray arrows like a pro. I was thankfully able to avoid most of the stuff too, except someone's elbow got me in the spleen when walking the opposite direction, which hurt a lot. "Oh yeah, by the way, Connor's probably going to yell at you for running off when you have another activity now, but tell him you were talking to me about Hope."

I grinned after catching up with him. "Code names? Really?"

He rolled his eyes and pushed my shoulder. "Keep marching, cadet. Don't question your superiors."

I laughed and hurried forward in the direction of the massive blue building. "Is there a time limit for the phone?"

"Nah."

My face wanted to smile, but my heart wanted to frown. I still felt betrayed. Well, maybe betrayed isn't the right word for that feeling. I felt abandoned. Like my mom loved me enough to toss me out and leave me to go to a strange place where I wouldn't have her love or protection or comfort. It felt like she was pushing me away and claiming it was all for my wellbeing, even though that was true.

We headed up to a phone like the ones still found in phone booths, where you have to put in a quarter to talk to someone. Nico handed me a gold coin with weird inscriptions on both sides. "This phone runs on drachmas, the currency of the Greek world. Everyone will want at least one drachma for a favor or service, from the goddess of the rainbow Iris, who allows demigods to speak to anyone in the world with her Iris Messages, to Charon, the ferryman of the Underworld who rows souls across the Styx so they can be judged on their lives."

I pushed the coin into the rectangular hole on the top and grasped the receiver with one hand and dialed my mom's number with the other. Both my hands quaked violently, which made it nearly impossible for me to hold onto the receiver and dial the number correctly. My self-esteem dropped with every quiver of my brachial extremities.

I held the receiver up to my ear and shoved down all of my desires to cry and whimper and sob like a kicked puppy. _Ring ring ring…ring ring ring…ring ring ring._ For almost a minute, the sound repeated. And then, a click. "Hello?" came my mother's beautiful, accented voice.

My sobs rushed from my mouth without my approval. "Amma-"

_Click._ She hung up on me.

The tears that slipped out fell now like a waterfall. Lips that clenched back their whimpers now unleashed screams and wails of grief. A heart that aimed to maintain its strength and understanding and will broke down entirely, shattering into a million pieces. A mind that strained to covet its last few semblances of coherence, sanity, and composure gave out and refused to try holding on any further. I lost my mind. I'm not ashamed of it. I had every right.

Nico held me as I succumbed to lunacy.

I didn't know if anyone was watching. I'd be surprised if no one was staring at me having a complete mental breakdown. In fact, I'd be worried for their sanity.

Nico tried to console me, keep me calm and somewhat collected. I refused, just screaming louder and sobbing louder.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back: my mom not wanting to talk to me.

And then, sweet, sweet oblivion. I enjoyed the complete silence and peace of unconsciousness. Actually, that was the best part of that day. Isn't that pathetic? My favorite part of that day was passing out. Sounds kind of depressing, but it was kinda not a good day, to be honest. The morning was great. Everything else? Not so much.

But hey, when you're a demigod, life has ups and downs. I just had too many downs that day, including a literal one!

(Yeah, as in 'Man down! Someone get her to the infirmary!' kind of down. I hate explaining jokes.)

* * *

While I deeply despise waking life, unconsciousness became my saving grace, my mistress of darkness who kept my mind soft and placid as she buried me in dreams of destruction and torture and fear and war. The dreams indeed left me somewhat traumatized when I awoke, but nothing is more traumatizing than the thought that your own mother who you love to death doesn't even want to talk to you after you were forced to leave her for your own safety, and all that after discovering that she was putting herself in harm's way to protect you.

The dreams were nowhere near as painful as that fact.

But that doesn't mean they weren't fucking weird.

I'll be honest, I have dreams fairly often. They're usually quite mundane, but they happen. Some of the more exciting ones involve me seeing a certain boring event or occurrence, but that's not the exciting part. What's exciting is realizing later on that the dream was actually a short glimpse into the future because I will have remembered that dream upon experiencing what I saw in the dream the next day or next week. That happened once every month or so.

But these dreams…they were something different. They felt more ominous. Surer. More active…than the future-telling ones I'd been having since I was a kid. I couldn't even remember what I ate that morning, but I will never forget those dreams.

_I watched the situation from a short distance away. _

_Walls of ancient limestone and marble surround a group of demigods talking loudly in a small circle. Somehow, I feel their dread in my stomach, but I'm comforted to know the monsters won't hear them, even though I have never seen the monsters and don't know why they won't hear the teens' loud discussion. A massive door of cherry wood (or blood-soaked pine) looms over the five individuals, a promise of the misery they will endure should they remain in that place any longer. All five people are dressed terribly, as if they'd been almost torn apart by demons. A young man wearing a quiver on his back and a bow over his shoulder, sword hung at his side, screamed at another me. He was pretty gorgeous. Visible, but lithe muscle, heavenly blue eyes, and wavy brown hair like chocolate. _

_He sobbed as he screamed, grabbing another me's shoulders and shaking Other-me. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO US. YOU CAN'T. HOW COULD YOU?!" Other-me's response was pained, aching. She reached up and took his face into her hands, scarred and bleeding beyond belief. The blood stained his cheeks. Other-me looked like she just took a long stroll through hell before climbing out of hell through God's garbage bin. _

"_I have to. You guys need to get the kids out of here. I'll hold them off." Other-me pulls her hands away and reaches for her knives. He grabs Other-me's wrists and pulls her back as she turns away. _

"_YOU CAN'T. YOU'LL DIE, YOU FUCKING INGRATE. JUST COME WITH US!" he pleaded. I felt terrible for him. The poor guy was fucking desperate._

_Other-me smiled sadly and shook her (is it my? Their? Our?) head. "I can't, Reggie. You gotta go without me. I have a better chance in there than you guys do. And we won't make it out if we all try to go with those guys after us. At least if I stay back, you'll have some time." He sobs and wails, trying to pull Other-me along. Other-me shakes her head and grabs his head, holding his face in place. She gives him a strict expression. "You listen to me, Reggie. You and Tato have to get the fuck out of here. I'm in charge this time, remember? So that means you GO." He whimpered at Other-me's words and nods weakly, tears slipping down pale cheeks red with blood and the effect of his emotional pain. _

"_You better fucking come along as soon as you can. Others will follow upon seeing you've ended their friends," Reggie warns darkly. He glares at Other-me, who smirks._

"_I'll be right behind you idiots. Just go." _

_He gives Other-me one last glance of concern and presses Other-me's face to his chest, kissing her forehead before pushing her away. "Get in there and give 'em hell, doll." _

_Other-me laughs maniacally. "I promise. Now run!"_

_Reggie and some giant dude with sleeve tattoos on both arms and a constantly clenched jaw watch Other-me one last time before running, pulling two little kids along with them. The giant guy gave Other-me a very specific and meaningful look that she returned with equal intensity. They share a thought, a mind, a heart. They think as one: __Live for me, and I'll live for you_. _He grabs one of the kids and sprints. The twelve-year-old boy and eight-year-old girl wave sadly to Other-me, who gives them a warm grin and nods. I didn't even know how I knew their ages. _

_Other-me then breaks down into hyperventilation as soon as the four running away as fast as they can are out of sight, Reggie and the supposed Tato slashing through monsters more horrifying than anything I've seen in movies. Other-me then pulls herself together and growls, whipping her (our?) two knives out of their sheaths and brandishing them towards a massive wooden door shut tightly in front of her. _

_The door opens. _

_She goes in. She screams like she's lost all her sanity. "ALRIGHT, YOU HIDEOUS WHORES. COME FUCKING GET SOME."_

_The door slams behind her, drowning out her victorious screams._

_At one point, her screams morphed from victory to pain. It continued for hours. And hours. And hours. I had to sit and listen to her screech over and over and over until I thought I was going insane too._

_And then._

_Silence._

_Nothing._

_Eternity._

_I realize too late that she's gone, - like, gone-gone - and nausea floods my body._

I woke up puking.


	4. I Hate Having Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, guys! This chapter is a bit short because I'm pretty busy with final exams and stuff, so I couldn't find the motivation or time to write more.
> 
> (This chapter isn't from the perspective of Anusha, by the way. I'll have the next chapter about Anusha again and then the chapter after that will take the perspective of another new character.)

_I have to keep going. I have to keep going. I have to keep going._

That reverberated in my head a hundred, a thousand, a million times. My legs burned. My heart thundered. My lungs screamed. I could barely recognize my own arms from all the scratches and tears in the tender flesh. Even my own hands seemed unfamiliar to me, marred by tens of scars and tens of bruises.

But I pushed on. I wouldn't let them get me. They got my mother. They got my uncle. They got my cousins. I wouldn't let them get me no matter what.

I lunged behind a massive garbage can as the beasts barreled ahead of me, unaware that I'd hidden from them. Unable to fathom my situation, my mind put aside the weirdness of what I'd experienced that evening and instead turned my focus towards a way out of my life-or-death crisis.

My eyes spotted an opening for escape. A large truck full of dirt and sand slowly came to a stop about twenty feet away from me along the main road, which stood adjacent to the garbage can that served as my temporary refuge. After looking all around to make sure no one was near and that the beasts hadn't returned, I sprinted as fast as I could and leaped up onto the back of the truck, climbing up the ladder messily, hands barely grasping the rungs and feet almost slipping a couple of times. I had to get in there as soon as possible.

I threw myself over the edge once my chest pressed up against the metal of the rim. I lied down on the sand for as long as possible, waiting for the truck to start moving before I peeked over the side to check for those creatures again.

I gasped for air, coughing helplessly when some sand got in my face. I slowly sat up and flipped onto my stomach so I could hold my head above the level of the trillions of brownish granules. I could hear the screeching of those creatures ringing behind me as they realized that they failed to find me.

The ride was peaceful, but my heart still hurt. My poor family…my mother and uncle barely held those creatures off. I was so ready to believe that our life would be perfect from today on. How wrong I was. So, so wrong. Even my poor cousins, both older than me by at least six years, fought valiantly to protect me. I finally took as much time as I wanted to sob and get out all of my pain and heartache. They didn't deserve that. They just wanted to love and care for me, and I left them suffering like that. But at least I was able to draw the creatures away. I vaguely recalled my mother calling nine-one-one as I ran out of the house. I knew they would be okay. My mother was stronger than anyone would believe. Frail and soft as she was, she had the voice of a lion and a heart twice as powerful. She would make it and protect my uncle and cousins.

I sat up and rubbed away my tears, feeling better after the little self-comfort I gave myself. I checked my phone, only to discover it had been smashed in my pocket during my attempts to evade the monsters chasing me. Sighing, I tucked the shattered device into my pocket, avoiding the broken glass screen and cracked metal as much as possible.

Then, I reached for my wallet next, relieved to find the cash and cards were still intact. Even my ID was relatively unharmed. A deep exhale later, I felt much better. Lying down once again, I allowed myself to think about nothing.

But nothing soon became something else. My mind wandered off towards the dream I had last night. 'Had' isn't the right word because I lived and physically experienced the dream more than saw it. It was weird as hell. I remember some stuff from the dream, like the sight of a concerned and depressed girl with caramel skin and feathery medium-length black hair murmuring something comforting while pressing warm hands against my face and chest. I remember being in a lot of pain, but the girl did something weird and pulled the pain away from me. She smiled at me when I sat up and looked at her. She touched my cheek and kissed my forehead. It felt like home, but the weird thing is I didn't even know her. I didn't know anyone who looked like her.

But the dream felt so real that I expected to wake up this morning to her calm presence. I truly believed I had been healed by this girl who I never met before. Instead, I awoke to see my mother screaming at me to "Get the fuck out of the house and run!". I couldn't even move, I was so startled. My mother never screams. Ever. That's why her sudden shouting threw me off so much.

When I saw a sword in her hand and a giant creature with the upper half of a humanoid snake woman and the bottom half of a giant snake in the doorway to my room, I tossed myself out of bed and jumped out of my second-story window. I somehow didn't break any bones, but that's probably because I landed in a pile of garbage.

I ran as fast as I could to the front of my house, which took a few minutes, and found my uncle fighting another of those weird snake-women. He killed one with a giant yellowish knife, and my cousins did the same, shooting down three more snake-women with bows and gold-tipped arrows. My mom kicked our front door down and lunged forward to kill some kind of giant black dog. It looked like it had spawned from humanity's nightmares and worst fears.

The demon dog roared so loudly, I thought I was going deaf. I fell to my knees from the sheer volume of its enraged cry, but my family remained upright and fighting. The creature tossed my uncle through a window with the swipe of a single, massive paw tipped in razor-blade sharp claws. My mother and cousins fought harder, trying to dig into it with more gold-tipped arrows and my mother's massive bronze sword. The thing didn't care, snarling at them with five-inch teeth sharper than any knife. It bit down on my cousin Anne-Marie's arm and ripped it clean off. The girl screeched with pain and stumbled away, clutching her torn limb to her body. My other cousin Henry shouted with rage at seeing his sister in so much pain, but the beast clawed down his chest, and even he had to crawl away to avoid getting killed. I sat and watched in horror as my mother fought the beast one-on-one.

In a moment of pure divine luck, she got the creature in the throat. Instead of falling over and bleeding, the thing dissolved into golden dust, almost like painted sand. My mom gasped for breath, falling to one knee.

I hurried forward, falling on my own feet before reaching her and helping her up. We smiled and hugged each other, both of us crying from relief. But our good fortune only lasted a minute.

A pack of what looked like giant scorpions skittered along the road towards us, the tips of their stingers dripping with poison. Our hope died. My mother turned to me and grabbed my face, speaking in the harshest tone I'd ever heard from her despite the sweetness of her Parisian accent, "Swear to me that you will run and not worry about us. You have to go. These things want you, but we won't let them. I'd sooner die than let them touch you, _mon coeur_. Do you understand? You have to go."

I sobbed again. "_Maman_, please. You can't make me go. I can't leave you all here. They'll kill you."

Anne-Marie brandished a sword that I didn't see her hold earlier, its golden tip glinting under the sun. "Not if we kill them first, bro." She gave me her usual smirk, but it seemed off. Instead of reaching her entire face, only one side of her lips was upturned with the rest of her face contorted into a grimace of pain. "Just go. We'll be okay. We've done this for longer than you think." Despite her brave words, I knew my cousin's confidence had plummeted after seeing the scorpions.

My mother smiled dangerously. "Absolutely. Those cretins will rue the day they tried to hunt down my son. Go now. You need not know what they are. They just want to kill you. But do not worry about us. We will live. You may not if you remain here any longer, darling. Go!" With one last hug for her and my cousins and a blown kiss for my uncle, I ran as fast as I could around the back of the house, trailing along the side of the forest lining the property. I could hear my mother's victorious yells even as I continued running. And upon a moment of terrifying silence, I hurried back and screamed loudly, grabbing a large stick and a garbage can's lid and banging them together to make noise.

Maman's horrified expression formed a ball of guilt in my stomach, but my adrenaline levels spiked too high for me to care. The creatures whipped around to face me, red and fanged mouths foaming and bloody from having bitten my family, most likely. I turned and ran twice as fast, somehow covering hundreds of feet in seconds, which is by far the fastest I've ever run, even compared to my sprint record for track at my private school.

My mother screamed for nine-one-one to be called when my uncle scrambled through the front door.

I ran and ran and ran. My family's property is quite a distance away from the center of the city, so the journey persisted a while until I could go anywhere near the main road. I continued running along the forest edge, weaving between massive oaks and pines, trying to avoid the monsters as quickly and efficiently as possible. It was almost in vain.

I was able to run near the outskirts of the city and found a trash can to hide behind while the monsters ran ahead.

That brings us to now.

My body craved rest more than anything. I thought I was going to die from the sheer amount of running I'd done in the past hour or so. But after a few minutes of peaceful meditation, I felt less death-bound and more exhausted. I figured that wherever the truck stopped, I would get off secretly and figure out a way to reach my aunt in New York City. My uncle always said his kids' mother (she left when my cousins turned four) lived in the Big Apple, so I rationalized that if I introduced myself to her and gave her proof of my identity, she'd recognize I was part of the family and would let me hide away from other creatures with her until I could get someone else to handle the situation for me.

Well, maybe that's a bad way of putting it. But I did need some kind of help to make the monsters stop hunting me and my family. I couldn't do that alone. First, though, I had to reach my aunt. For that moment, I relaxed and tried to ignore the starvation slowly spreading throughout my stomach.

To my great fortune, the truck drove a few hundred miles towards a city. When the driver stopped for gas, I climbed down the ladder without being seen and hurried away from the truck before walking nonchalantly in a feeble attempt to appear casual and unbothered by the creepy concrete mass that these people called a gas station.

The paint on the outside of some kind of odd convenience store hung off the walls in ribbons, the possibly cherry red now faded into grayish salmon. I strolled into the store and began looking around at the variety of snacks, drinks, and other consumables covering every shelf of the hideous space. Of course, nothing was to my usual taste. All processed junk with no nutritional value. But, my stomach growled to remind me of my condition, so I ignored my disgust and paid in cash for a hamburger, some kind of kettle-cooked potato chips, and a bottled fruit smoothie. I could feel the heart disease slowly developing in my body. Ugh.

Of course, the cashier gave me weird looks because I had too many bruises for a kid my age and too much money for a kid my age, but he ignored it and shrugged. For his understanding of me not wanting any unwanted attention, I handed him an extra twenty, even though my bill was only about ten dollars. His smile stuck itself to my memory. He thanked me and offered to allow me to eat in the store so I wouldn't get robbed of my food. I ate in the store while conversing with the cashier who offered me some company while I dined on my ten-dollar meal. We spoke a little about ourselves. I only mentioned that I was on the run and needed to head to New York City. The kind Asian man suggested a bus line that drives straight to the big city from 'here', which was apparently a little town on the border of Nevada and California called Primm.

So that truck driver only got me to the border of California. Hopefully, the bus could actually get me to NYC. I couldn't wait around for any more beasts to chase and try to kill me. I had to get to my aunt and find some safety. I hoped she didn't suffer the same kind of monster problems I did.

The old man sent me on my way with a cheap but strong army backpack, a bag of food (mostly packaged foods because I didn't exactly have easy access to a refrigerator while on the run), some first aid supplies, a set of relatively new hand-me-downs from his college-aged nephew who couldn't wear those clothes anymore, some toiletries, and a small wad of cash. I refused the cash and instead gave him a tight hug and payment for the food and supplies as thanks. I knew no other way to show my gratitude. He smiled and explained that his own son went on a similar journey to find the mother. Apparently, the elderly Korean man had helped many other kids like me 'who seek their other parent when it is time'. He gave me a cryptic chuckle and patted my back, wishing me luck as I made my way out of the store feeling refreshed and ready for the long trek ahead.

I pulled out the free map I grabbed from the counter before I left and looked it over for the bus station the man mentioned. I tucked it back into my back pocket and sprinted onwards in the direction of the stop.

To my great fortune, the bus was indeed there.

But to my great misfortune, this one only traveled until Kansas. And it was the only one traveling from Primm that went anywhere near the east coast. So I took my chance and got on the bus. I couldn't wait forever for a bus that might not even arrive.

The seats squeaked and groaned with every movement I made. The bus itself seemed as if it would spontaneously combust at any moment. The other passengers stared at me uncomfortably, eyes digging into my face and body language with the interest of satiated lions observing their future meal. I didn't shift too much. People stared at me like that no matter where I walked. No, it wasn't because I was born into wealth. It was because I was born to my mom.

Evelyn leBlanc was the first woman in her family to use their old money to do some good in society. Most of her cousins and relatives were rich socialites still residing in their ancestral manor in France. Maman moved to America to use her wealth in a beneficial way. She built the very first obstetrics and gynecology specialization hospital in the world. Not only that, but she gained fame in her youth as a child prodigy in the field of women's health and medicine. She became a doctor at the young age of twenty-six after having begun her college education at only fourteen years old.

I, on the other hand, have no talent in healthcare. I am actually a hemophiliac with an unbeatable proclivity for injuring myself at least once a day.

My mother despised that because she had to constantly deal with my constant bleeding, but she grew accustomed to it. She didn't lose her mind with worry if I got a papercut after I began high school. She figured I would hurt myself every day, so it would be better to teach me how to handle injuries than try to avoid them. She was absolutely correct in making that decision.

What was I talking about?

Uhhhhh oh, right!

Yes, the bus ride was uncomfortable. I didn't even touch my wallet the entire time I was there. I didn't dare open my backpack. I didn't know those people, and I didn't trust them.

I didn't bother to do much else except watch the seats in front of me and keep an eye on the other passengers. Yes, that seems a bit rude and classist. 'Look at this rich boy acting like all people want to do is steal from him! Boohoo! Maybe they should. Rich people have too much money in America!' I absolutely agree with all of those statements. The top one percent of America owns more than fifty percent of the wealth. In fact, my mother often just sets a few stacks of cash out on a table outside our front door if she decides she doesn't need the money, which is usually every month. People will take the money and leave a sweet note or something like that. Others won't. But we actively try to do as much as we can for the poor in the closest four cities to our manor.

My point is, I wasn't nervous about the others because they are likely poorer than I am. That is not at all my idea. I just didn't trust them because all of them glared at me as if I'd wronged their ancestors by simply existing. Some of them looked like they could snap my femurs with one hand. I was terrified to be alone with strangers, as most teens are.

Relief flooded my body when the bus screeched to a stop after almost twenty hours of driving. Of course, it wasn't twenty consecutive hours. That was way too much work for the driver, and both he and the passengers needed breaks. So, he stopped every four hours at a rest stop and allowed everyone to go to the restroom and stretch their legs. Some others got food at the restaurants, but I had the food the kind man from the convenience store gave me. I ate quietly throughout the duration of the trip. I frowned when, at the last stop before reaching Kansas, a young girl of about eight years of age got onto the bus. Her dark blue eyes scanned over everyone's faces, searching for who she could trust to not hurt her. She spotted me and slowly walked in my direction, tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear as her boots clacked on the floor of the vehicle.

I put my backpack in my lap and let her sit beside me. I knew she was likely frightened and unsure of what to do in this public space, so I tried to act as a protective, helpful stranger by warding the other passengers away by pulling my Swiss army knife (I always kept one in my pocket in case of emergencies, which was lucky that time) and twirling the blade in my fingers.

The girl tucked herself into a small ball in her seat and looked at me nervously, her hand inching towards my shoulder. Sighing, my hands peeled my jacket off my back and draped it over her, gently taking her hand in a show of comfort. She smiled up at me, and my heart just about melted into a puddle. The innocence, the goodness in her face made me want to love the world again, despite the horrible creatures I'd been running from the previous days.

I fumbled for my iPod and plugged in my earbuds with one hand while holding the girl's hand with the other. Once connected, I put the left bud into my ear and offered her the right. She giggled, nodding her head as she took it and inserted it carefully with her free hand.

Scrolling through for a few minutes, I decided to play some soft classical music that I figured she would like. The young girl hummed and leaned against me, pressing her head to my shoulder.

She didn't make a peep as she slept, locks of sunshine falling over her face, which she pushed back with a hand as her little nose scrunched up from the itchy sensation. She grunted and cuddled up under my arm, falling asleep to the sound of my heart. I smiled, my mind going weak from the adorable, sweet actions of the child.

I fell asleep myself after realizing everyone else had been sleeping for a little while after the girl closed her eyes.

But that night was not peaceful.

I dreamt again, and it definitely was not pleasing.

* * *

_The scene was different this time. The pretty girl with the dark hair from yesterday's dream was telling me with weak eyes and a tearful voice that I had to let them go. I shook my head and screamed that they had to come with us. That they were just kids._

_I didn't know who I was talking about, but my dream self remembered a young boy's voice coming from a gorgeous necklace with a sapphire set in the center, along with a girl of bronze hair and icy eyes. The pretty girl hugged my dream self tightly and held my face in her hands, tears rising in her eyes._

"_We can't just leave them with those monsters! That jackass is gonna break them, Anu! You have to fucking at least try!" I screeched, slowly collapsing to the stone beneath us. My knees ached from the impact._

_She shook her head and tried to convince me, a voice like velvet morphing into one of tattered cotton. "We have to leave, Reggie. We can't fight those things. We're starving and weak and both of you have too many injuries for me to absorb. Please, let's just go," she pleaded._

_I glowered up at her, but she simply sighed and hugged me tighter, looking up at another figure who walked towards us from behind me. I turned to look at the person, a giant of a teenage boy with skin the color of real maple syrup and eyes of smoldering charcoal. He knelt down beside me, tying back his shoulder-length hair, which hung in a couple of braids but mostly sat free. He placed a massive leather-palmed hand on my cheek, leaning forward to rest his forehead against mine._

_He spoke with a tone revealing of a harsh past but a good heart. He didn't have any accent, but the pattern of his words reminded me of a speech I heard from some kind of First Peoples activist._

"_Reginald, please. You know she's right. We cannot sit and lose. It's better we leave now and at least save ourselves. You know how heartbroken your friends at camp will be," he warned softly._

_I whimpered and leaned into his touch, to which he sighed and kissed my forehead. "They're kids, Tato. Kids!"_

_Tato nodded. "I know. But we can't help them if we also die in the process."_

_My heart still slowly breaking more and more with each passing minute, I stood with my two companions and let them pull me away, leading me down a tunnel with a bright, almost blinding light at the end. Anu paused halfway through the walk._

_A man stood in the way. He looked like what every actor wanted to look like. Eyes of the brightest gold watched us carefully as if examining our shortcomings and weaknesses. Hair of a similar tone fell in waves over his shoulders. Muscular arms crossed on a chest plated with heavy golden armor. The bottom of a Greek chiton fell over his knees, covered by the odd leather skirt of a warrior. A bow hung on one shoulder as a quiver full of gold-tipped arrows hung off of his back._

"_I presume you children need a ride back to camp," he decided in the most musical voice I'd ever heard. Anu stared at him with wide, terrified eyes._

_"**Acchan?!**"_

* * *

I woke up gasping. The little girl whimpered and stared up at me fearfully, blue eyes wide. I sighed and calmed myself, rubbing my face with both hands. "I'm sorry, kiddo. I had a nightmare. It was just really sad." The girl relaxed a little and nodded, biting her lip and frowning.

Still trying to wake myself and shake off the drowsy feeling, I watched her expression and raised an eyebrow. "You okay?" She nodded. "Okay. Um. My name's Reg-" I figured it wouldn't be a good idea to give my real name to anyone I didn't know. Whether or not she's a kid wasn't important. "I'm Reggie. What's your name?"

Her lips scrunched into a pout and began to quiver. She sniffled and looked up at me. She bit her lip and pulled out a little notebook, scribbling something on it with a blue mechanical pencil. She showed me what she wrote.

Scrawled in careful but oddly spaced letters were these words:

_My name is Elizabeth. You can call me Izzy. I can't talk because my throat got hurted when I was little. My daddy is gone a long time ago, but mommy doesn't want me. She told me to go find him. Can you help me?_

My heart melted again. I gazed down into hopeful cerulean eyes and nodded, patting her head. "I'll help you." She smiled like the sun, and I had to restrain myself from hugging her too tightly.

What kind of pathetic creature would reject an angel like this child?!

I waited for the bus driver to announce that we'd reached Kansas. Ready for the journey to end, I checked my items and then stood up. I motioned for Izzy to move aside so we could exit the vehicle. She clung tightly to my hand as we walked off, her little shoulders quaking harshly.

I guided her off the bus and walked to the nearest restaurant and paid for some food, trying to make sure we ate as healthy food as possible while on the road. I was not about to let this little girl become malnourished when I could pay for wholesome, nutritious meals. She clung to my arm the entire time we walked, and my heart clenched with guilt. I, a young man of only fourteen years, just woke up terrified from a nonsensical dream when this young child had been forced out of her home by her own mother to instead go search for her absent father, whom she never met. From the state of her dirty navy blue jacket, pink rain boots, and black jeans, I deduced that she'd traveled for almost three or so days on her own. Her stomach growled audibly, and I could wrap my hand around her wrist one and a half times.

The girl had suffered starvation, dehydration, abuse, trauma, and so many other things.

I felt like a fool for even presuming I had any right to complain or be afraid when this little girl faced far more than I did, all the while dealing with the fright of disability in this cruel world. I changed myself for her. I decided I would no longer be the terrified little teenage boy who still needed his mother to guard him against the world's terrors. I decided I would no longer expect others to handle my problems for me. I decided I would no longer sit and wait for answers and solutions and help to come to me.

While Izzy ate her salad and chicken pot pie, I sat and made a plan for myself, writing down my maximum expenditure per day and what I could spend on myself and on Izzy. Thanks to my family's wealth and willingness to teach me how to manage my finances, I created a solid budget that would allow my young friend and me to survive until we reached New York City. And then I made a plan for our survival in NYC, which consisted of the best possible way to find my aunt, the easiest residence we could afford on my mother's money, the exact food costs we could have per day, and the quickest way to find help for my mother, uncle, and cousins so that none of those creatures could still hunt us.

Izzy finished her food with a little yawn and moved closer to me, pressing her little head against my arm. Smiling tiredly, I patted the top of her head and paid for our meal. I hadn't touched my food, but I would eat after I knew what our next steps had to be.

Lunch was delicious, though. I had decided to take Izzy to a little diner deeper in the city, whose name started with an L. Best decision I made since I ran back to go taunt those scorpion things and get them away from my family.

Before looking for another path to NYC, I picked up a map at the bus stop where we exited the Greyhound that brought us to Kansas. While my eyes scanned over the lines and words and drawings on the massive piece of paper, I spotted something odd in the corner of my eye. To avoid getting any unwanted attention, I casually looked around and pulled Izzy to my other side, sitting us down on the bench under the cover of the awning. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of another of those snake-women from California slithering through the crowd without detection. I wondered how in the world no one saw her massive snake tail, and then realized that I was the only one who could see her to begin with. Little Izzy gaped and looked at me, eyebrows scrunched together as blue eyes dilated in her terror. I leaned down and whispered so no one but she could hear, "I'll protect you if it comes near us. Just stay calm and act like nothing's wrong."

I swung my backpack off my shoulder and rummaged through, looking for something to use as a weapon. I came out with nothing but a beautiful fountain pen my uncle gifted to me for my thirteenth birthday. It broke my heart that I would have to use my favorite writing utensil as a way to defend myself from a terrible creature.

Out of sheer luck, something tumbled out of my backpack that I didn't notice before. I scooped my favorite stopwatch off the sidewalk and gingerly held it in my palm. Upon hitting the ground, the button at the top of the old family heirloom had popped up from the side of the watch. It was actually an old pocket watch from the eighteen-hundreds when my mother's family first collected a large amount of wealth. My uncle found it during the week we moved to California and tweaked it to change it into a stopwatch. My mother used the stopwatch often to time me when I practiced for track at home.

I don't even know how it got into the backpack, considering the old man had given it to me in Nevada, but I didn't question anything anymore. The gold plating of the watch still shone in the sun, despite the scratches lining its surface. I opened it and smiled, watching the needles of the stopwatch gleam. My uncle had repainted them from a deep red to a bold, beautiful pink when I told him my favorite color as a child. The inside was still pristine and perfect as ever.

I winced upon realizing how much time I spent looking at the stopwatch and closed it. Instinctively, I began turning the button at the side of the stopwatch, listening to the slow winding-up sound until a solid _click!_ came from the little device. I pressed the button down again and nearly toppled backward when the watch transformed into a sword. I gaped, staring at the beautiful bronze glimmer of the blade, the delicate carvings etched into one side, the smooth and squishy layer of leather set on the hilt, the rounded bronze of the butt of the hilt.

Izzy and I looked at one another before looking back at the sword. The snake woman saw me with the sword. Some of the passersby raised eyebrows and mumbled loudly, wondering why "that homeless kid [me] had a baseball bat for no reason".

The snake lady slowly moved through the crowd towards my young companion and I. As much as I wanted to bring the fight further away from Izzy, I couldn't risk the chance that she could get kidnapped if I left her at the bus stop alone. I zipped up my backpack and whispered to her calmly, "I can't leave you here and fight the thing anywhere else. You're both safer with me and at greater risk with me, but I will protect you. I promise." She nodded and grabbed my hand as soon as I hung my backpack on my shoulders and hefted the wonderfully balanced sword in my hand. I didn't know what a balanced sword felt like back then, but the weight distribution and handle and everything felt _right_.

The two of us wiggled through the crowd and made our way down to a back alley deeper into the city. The snake lady followed without much doubt, hesitation, or fear. She just kept moving. I thought at least the sight of the three-foot bronze sword sharp enough to cut through metal would frighten her and perhaps ward her off, but that assumption was incorrect.

So, I told Izzy to hide behind a garbage can next to me and placed my backpack gently in her arms, nodding at her with a brave smile on my face. I was actually terrified, but I wouldn't let her see that. She returned the smile with a little nod.

The snake woman hissed for a moment. We stood on opposite sides of the alley. She gave a cold sneer of a smile, inch-long teeth glinting in the light. I knew that if she bit me, she could probably take a chunk out of my flesh. She flicked her tongue out a few times before recoiling.

For good reason. The alley was full of trash bags.

The bottom half of her body was actually two snake tails with the pattern of a diamondback. Her upper half consisted of a woman with heavy metal armor covering almost every square inch of skin. A giant ax hung from one clawed hand, and a shield of some sort of unrefined iron guarded her other arm. "You've been very hard to catch, little boy," she sneered. "Why don't you just sit tight and let me come crush your bones into powder."

I could feel my heart sink when she spoke. My knees weakened to almost a jelly-like state. The sword felt like dead weight. I couldn't even move my facial muscles from the sheer terror ripping through my body. But the thought of Izzy's petrified expression as she was chased by this monster gave me enough verve to pick up my sword and point it forward. I called back to the snake woman with my shaky voice, "I'd like to see you try, Ursula!"

She definitely despised my taunting because she slithered towards me, entering my three-foot radius in under three seconds. I sidestepped quickly, avoiding her ax to the best of my ability. She hissed and turned around, sliding towards me again. I noticed she moved a bit slower and hurried backward to avoid her. I realized it was because of what looked like a grease spill on the ground. I noticed a broken mason jar nearby and confirmed my theory. I looked around for any sort of oily substance, figuring that snakes need traction to move, and if there is no traction, they can only slither in place.

The snake woman approached me again, ax held forward this time, as if she wanted to slice right through me. I calmed my breathing enough to see several cans of oil sitting half-opened next to the dumpster. I dived for them at the last minute when the snake woman moved towards me. I held my sword under one arm and dumped the oil in the cans all over the sidewalk, aiming for the ground where the snake woman would try to travel on. I hurried to the opposite side of her and stood at the ready, sword held out towards me.

The snake woman screeched and slithered weakly towards me, keeping herself stable with one hand on the wall. I quickly looked beside me to check on Izzy and just about had a heart attack when I didn't see her. My heart attack quelled itself when I spotted the little girl standing behind the snake woman with a giant wooden plank held up. I would have laughed at the comical sight of this tiny girl carrying a piece of wood almost twice as tall as her.

She grinned at me from behind the snake woman. Izzy gave me a thumbs up and walked to the side a little. The snake woman scowled and snarled at me. "WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT, DEMIGOD BRAT?!" I didn't even know I was laughing! The snake woman whipped around to find the object of my amusement. Her eyes widened painfully, and with a yelp, she slid forward on the oil after Izzy hit the snake woman with all her might.

Hissing all the way towards me, the snake woman suddenly burst into what looked like sand after she ran herself into my sword. I stepped back to avoid the plume of dust and scowled in disgust and then stared in shock.

Izzy and I grinned at one another, hugging tightly as we collected our belongings and hurried back to the bus stop. I pulled the button back up and the sword reverted back to a stopwatch. Twisting the button towards me, I waited until I heard another _click!_ and then pushed the button down again. My hands instinctively grabbed the backpack and threw it over my shoulder, and the two of us hurried back to the bus stop. The next bus would take us across Kansas to the eastern border of the Bread Basket state.

We laughed and hugged again while we walked, relief flooding our bodies like a tsunami. I'd never felt more proud of myself or of a child I associated myself with than at that moment. When we sat on the next bus, I made sure Izzy sat in the window seat so I could keep myself between her and the creepers that would try and take her. She fell asleep on me as soon as the bus began its passage. Smiling, I curled an arm around her and plugged in my headphones, listening to my music with one ear while paying attention to my surroundings with the other.

I have to say, I was glad I didn't have a dream when I fell asleep again.

But the next time I woke up pleased me even more. I awoke with Izzy snuggled into my side, which was slightly uncomfortable because her weight pressed into my hip joint, but I felt so refreshed and rejuvenated. I never had such an amazing sleep in my life.

I woke her up with a few pushes to her shoulder and some well-placed pokes to her rounded cheeks. She sat up yawning with only a few squeaks of sound. I must admit that my heart just about liquified from how sweet and soft and adorable the child was while yawning. She turned her sunshine smile towards me, and I felt like I'd just spent a wonderful day at the beach with my mother and uncle and cousins. I felt better than rejuvenated.

Izzy leaned over and kissed my cheek in greeting before grabbing up her little backpack and pulling out a candy bar to munch on. While I disapproved of her choice of breakfast, I couldn't find it in my heart to scold her.

We had woken up just as the bus began to pull to a stop. I squinted while looking through the windows and spotted a dark green sign that read the name of the bus station with 'Kansas City, KS' written under it in bold white lettering. I stretched my arms and legs before standing, my backpack hefted over my shoulder. Izzy clung to my hand even as she walked ahead of me, her sweet blue eyes still drowsy from her long nap. I promised quietly to make sure we got a hotel for the night before beginning our travels again.

My watch read six o'clock PM. I figured that since I hadn't changed the time manually since I was last in California, it was eight PM here in Kansas. But only an idiot would need to know what time it was just to figure out whether it was night or not. The outside world was blanketed in darkness, which I discovered upon simply setting foot on solid ground.

The last remains of sunset lingered in the sky, but all else choked in nighttime's velvet comforter.

Izzy whined to me, holding her tiny arms up towards my face as a petulant pout made its way onto hers. I chuckled and lifted her up into my arms, setting her on my hip before walking down towards the main road to catch a taxi so I could get us to a hotel. My hip burned with the effort. Sitting in a bus for such extended periods of time really ruins your joints. But the running I did an entire day or so ago still had effects on my hip and muscles. I couldn't walk five steps without wincing.

Once I got to NYC, I decided, I would get everything checked on. Maman wouldn't mind medical bills. She could afford most of what I had paid for with my personal card so far.

We did find a taxi willing to drive us all the way into the city for a hotel, but only after another hour of waiting on the sidewalk. Izzy stood for a couple of minutes at a time, so I spent the majority of the hour repositioning her on my hip or back until I could comfortably wait for a little while.

Izzy fell asleep on the way to the next destination, but only after I forced her to eat some of the sandwich I had kept in my backpack in case of extreme hunger. I could live on snacks, but my young friend needed real food.

I carried her into the hotel again, with strength returning to my bones and muscles out of the excitement that I would get to sleep in a proper bed with pillows and blankets. I was not really made for the road.

The hotel receptionist gave me an odd look, but upon seeing my name on the credit card, she smiled innocently and gave me everything I asked for. I glared hard enough to make sure she wasn't going to siphon money from my account by writing down my credit card information. She scurried through the motions to make sure it didn't seem as if she was trying to steal my info.

Satisfied, I left her twenty-five percent tip for the bill of my stay and made my way up to the room. Izzy whimpered at the jostling of my arms when I had to readjust her to slide in the key card but promptly fell asleep once I tucked her into bed. Her clothes seemed comfortable enough that I didn't need to force her to change into pajamas.

I, however, took a nice long shower and washed all of the grime, sand, and dust off of my body. As I stood in the stream of water, I contemplated how exactly I came to live this life.

On the run from monsters I never even imagined could exist. Hoping my mother, uncle, and cousins were safe with no way of contacting them. Protecting a little runaway girl from those same monsters. Taking public transportation with possibly dangerous people. Living off of my credit card rather than trying to be self-sufficient. Acting like a parent to that same little runaway girl who couldn't speak.

If someone had suggested this would be my new life a week ago, or even three days ago, I would have laughed in their face. I couldn't laugh anymore. I was terrified and confused and alone and exhausted.

But sleep was good. And food was good. And clothes were good. So, I spent some time to change into my pajamas, which were actually just some basketball shorts and a soft, worn-down T-shirt, enjoyed my dinner of packaged snacks and fake juices, and climbed into bed, keeping an arm over Izzy and smiling when she moved closer to bury her face in my chest.

I flicked the lights off. Sleep rushed over me as soon as I laid my head on the pillow.

I had another dream. Again.

This one depressed me more than the last.

* * *

_The girl from the previous dream stood in front of me, dark eyes flush with manic determination. But she looked like a broken rainbow._

_Her shock of sunshine-yellow hair cut in a pixie cut lay on her head matted with blood and dirt. Clear caramel skin from the previous dream had discolored to a lifeless grey-brown, covered in a layer of dust as fresh and old cuts lined her cheeks and forehead. Even sweet dark lips had chapped and cut since the last time I saw her. Crimson blood dripped from her facial and actual injuries like the red splatters of a Jackson Polluck. Her arms were twice as muscular but littered with black bruises, red cuts, and pink burns. Her black tank top hung in tatters over her frame, and blue skinny jeans had turned grey-brown from all the mud, grass stains, and dust caked on the thick fabric._

_Her knives were in equally terrible conditions. The blades seemed recently sharpened, but the hilts and sheaths were just as dirty as the rest of her. She tucked the knives into their holders quickly._

_But her eyes reflected some other kind of exhaustion. She wore the face of a soldier on the verge of death, knowing the details regarding her upcoming demise. She still smiled at me, reaching a hand out to push a strand of my hair behind my ear. She moved forward and kissed my cheeks, wet from tears I wasn't aware of. She pulled back and walked on past me, towards the same giant man whom I recognized as Tato upon turning to watch her. The two of them hugged tightly, faces pressed into one another's shoulders._

_The girl mumbled something to him, and he nodded, pulling back to stare into her eyes and cup her cheek. She pressed her right cheek to his. For some odd reason, my heart felt prickly and hot with an emotion unfamiliar to me. Tato kissed her forehead, and she sighed, sniffling softly before walking back towards me._

_She curled her arms around my shoulders and held on tightly, desperately. I kept her close, too scared to let her go do what I figured would be something stupid, heroic, and reckless. I didn't trust her to come back to me alive. She pulled her head back and looked into my eyes with something like pity, heartache, love, and pain all at once. She rested a callused hand on my jaw and murmured dejectedly, "You take care of them, okay? Tato will lose his mind trying to keep you and the little ones safe. You know how he is. He won't let you help defend if he can do it perfectly." She sighed and smiled, and only then did I realize the extent of my own injuries._

_If I thought I was struggling when I was making my way down to the hotel that night, I was sorely mistaken. Because the injuries from that dream made me feel like death itself. I felt like I would collapse any moment from the sheer burning pain and bleeding. If it wasn't for her, I would have actually fallen apart. The girl leaned forward to press her forehead against mine._

_Humming a sweet tune, the girl slowly took away my wounds and pain and suffering, drawing them into herself and then pushing them into her knives, both of which she held in the hand not touching me. The loss of the wounds hurt just as much as the gaining and presence of the wounds. They probably hurt her more than they hurt me. The girl was barely holding herself together. She sighed with relief once the pain and suffering were tucked away into her blades. She moved the hand on my cheek up to her hair to rake her fingers through it. In a motion of impulsive need, dread, and adoration, I lunged forward and took her face into my hands, kissing her gently._

_She at first stiffened, not expecting the sudden show of affection. And then, she melted into me, tossing her arms around my neck and returning the kiss desperately, as if she knew this would be the last time we ever interacted._

_She pushed me into someone's arms, tears streaking her cheeks and washing away some of the grime to a severe degree, as if she'd bleached her skin over the dirt. The back of my mind conjured an image of those Scrubbing Bubbles commercials where the person in the advertisement wipes away a line of dirt and hard water, and the rest of the bathtub is still dirty._

_She smiled sadly and rubbed at her face, smearing the tears. Tato caught me when the girl pushed me back. But she was soft. She was so emotional. She came back to us for a tight hug of distress, throwing herself at us as pain rejoined her eyes. Tato kissed her too, then, tilting her face up by her chin and holding her jaw more delicately than I thought possible for the massive paws he called his hands. The girl just laughed through her tears and smiled at us weakly._

"_You two better kiss like that when you get to safety, okay? I love you two, but you guys love each other just as much. I don't want to be a traumatic last thought for you both." Tato and I laughed through our tears as well, hugging her again before looking down at the feeling of hands tugging on our shirts. The little kids from the previous dream whined at us, holding their arms up at our faces. My heart panged when I recognized the little girl as my little girl. Izzy whimpered and clung to my shirt and pants while gazing up at the girl and crying._

_The girl kneeled down and met Izzy's eyes, smiling warmly. "You promise you'll be a good girl, baby? Reggie and Tato are having a hard time, and they need you to be my strong little ray of sun. Can you do that?"_

_Sobbing fully now, Izzy nodded and tossed herself into the girl's arms. The girl stroked Izzy's equally dirty golden locks and smiled. "That's my good girl. Tell Acchu that I love him and that I'm sorry, okay, honey? He'll see you when you come back to camp. I promise he won't be mad." Izzy nodded again, now tired and weak and depressed, eyes of the sky at dusk wet and lifeless from knowing she wouldn't see the girl again._

_I lifted Izzy up into my arms, and the little boy, a few years older than my blonde child clung to the girl's leg and didn't let go, still crying loudly. The girl smiled like she did for Izzy, all motherly love and gentile. She stroked his face and hair, kissing his forehead. "You'll protect them, won't you? You'll be my little avenger and defend our little family, right?" The boy shook his head, sobbing louder than Izzy did and stubbornly glaring at the door we huddled in front of. The girl asked him again, speaking more gently. "Please, baby. You have to go. I can't come with you if I intend to save you all from the monsters back in that arena. You have to protect Tato, Reggie, and Izzy. Please promise me, Zirar. Swear to me, my darling."_

_The little boy, Zirar, wiped away his tears and gave the girl the same look she held in her eyes when the dream began. Strength, power, force, wrath, protection, divine resolve filled his little face. He looked like the kind of child-king that would grow to become a god-king with millions of soldiers and hundreds of hectares of land at the tips of his fingers. He took her hand and held it so her palm was facing up. He placed his own little hand on top of hers, speaking in a tone that didn't sound right for a little boy of only ten years of age. "I swear by all the gods of Olympus, I will protect our family. I swear."_

_The girl beamed as if he'd just given her the sun for mother's day. She kissed his forehead and stood up, rolling her shoulders to then flex her muscles and prepare herself for her battle. She grinned at me and Tato, kissing our cheeks again. "If I die, tell everyone in our group that I love them. If I don't, I'll try and make it out. Or I'll ask my dad to save my ass again. But don't stop. Don't look back. Don't hesitate. Just keep running, okay? That's an order." We nodded slowly and let her hug us one more time before stepping away. Izzy hung onto my neck with one arm and brandished what looked like a laser pointer in her other hand. She flicked her wrist and a rope of golden light erupted from the end of the pointer. Tato gave Zirar a piggyback ride, and the little boy pulled out an intricate slingshot, holding it at the ready in front of him as Tato grabbed the boy's legs to keep him in place._

_The girl smiled at us once more and blew us kisses. "Go. Don't forget that I love you."_

_She smirked widely and tossed her head back, forcing her hair to whip backward out of her face. She winked and walked towards the giant, imposing cherrywood doors. She stood one step away from the door. We braced ourselves to run. We wanted to get a few more looks at her before we never saw her again. With a scream of rage, she kicked forward on the border between the doors and both flung open from the sheer force. Monsters wailed and snarled from behind the doorstep. She grinned at us one last time and stepped inside, slamming the doors shut behind her._

_Tato and I ran._

_Never once did we look back._

_But it mattered not. Because before we could realize, we ended up running down a hall that led into the same place the girl had just entered. The three of us looked at one another, and our hearts fell. So, without another motion of defiance or survival, the five of us met in a little circle and let the monsters overwhelm us. It was dark, but the peace following the pain and torture was worth the struggle of dying._

* * *

I woke up to little Izzy sobbing her eyes out beside me. I sat up quickly enough to give myself whiplash and cradled her in my lap, rocking us back and forth as she sniffled and sniveled.

It took a half-hour for her to calm down enough to return to sleep, at least for a few more hours. I checked the digital alarm clock seated on the ugly oak bedside table to my left and grunted upon seeing it was only eight in the morning. I rubbed my face and set an alarm on my watch for ten in the morning after reading a flyer that read that the hotel served brunch from nine in the morning to twelve in the afternoon.

I grumbled and settled back in bed, pulling the comforter over me and Izzy as sleep consumed us both.


	5. I Should Talk Less, Honestly

As I regurgitated everything I consumed for my last meal, someone gently held back my hair, stroking through the locks carefully while carrying a trash can under my mouth to catch all the vomit. Once I was done, I shivered and tried to wipe my face clean to stop feeling gross. Someone cooed at me and petted my hair while wiping my face with what felt like a warm, wet towel. (I still hadn't opened my eyes yet.)

I slowly cracked my eyes open and took a quick inventory of my surroundings.

My friends surrounded me as I lay in what looked like a knockoff version of a hospital bed. The bed stood near one wall of a small room, perhaps the operating room of the camp's infirmary. Everything seemed to glow white from how perfectly clean the space was. A few cabinets hung over a sink with drawers under it. All of the doors and drawers had labels on the front, indicating what medical item lay within. The walls had no decorations but wore strokes of powder blue and summer yellow. The ceiling lights bore down on me with all of their LED might. I turned my head sideways and found a scrubs-dressed Will Solace setting a clipboard down on the small wooden table beside the bed before looking at me with a gentle smile.

"Hey, sweetie. How do you feel? That was pretty intense. We weren't expecting you to get sick like that upon waking up. Want some water?"

I responded with a curt, weak nod.

Will motioned with a thumb pointing behind him while staring at someone across from him. I followed his line of sight and saw Naomi nodding at the older Apollo kid. She hurried away and returned with a tall glass of cool water, a blue straw poking out of the top.

She sat in the stool beside me and set the straw to my lips. She didn't even let me hold the glass on my own. She petted my hair as I drank desperately. I didn't realize how dehydrated I was. Naomi set the glass down on the table and smiled, taking my hand. "You okay, girl? You had this look of terror on your face when you woke up. What happened?"

I closed off immediately. I had no desire whatsoever to talk about my dream. Not at all. I wasn't ready to even acknowledge that I saw it, much less talk about it to other people.

"It was nothing. Just a normal dream. I just felt sick since my mom didn't want to talk to me…" I figured that sounded like a pretty valid lie. "She and I are so close…it broke my heart." Naomi cooed and held me close, kissing my temple while petting my hair again. She clearly believed my lie. Connor and Will gave me knowing looks. I winced and looked away. They definitely knew I was lying.

Naomi moved away when Will warned her, "I still need to do a checkup on her, Naomi. Can you head back to your lessons? I promise I'll let you visit once she's a bit more stable." Naomi pouted but reluctantly agreed, hugging me one more time before scurrying out of the room. Will and Connor sat in two chairs across from me, both sets of blue eyes of differing shades digging into my soul. Will spoke calmly, almost robotically. "We know that was a lie. You know that. My dad is the god of truth. Connor's dad is the god of lies. Not just that, but we've dealt with a fuck-ton of campers. We know the signs."

Connor sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "So what exactly did you see?" His face had none of the impish shine it usually held, instead a surface of stone and iron. I wanted to hide away into the blankets and avoid their gazes, that's how invasive their looks felt.

But I held down the urge to hide and sat up more, returning their faces. "I saw myself die. Painfully. Brutally."

They were taken aback. The two young men glanced at one another and back at me, frowning. Will asked expectantly, "What did you see?"

I grumbled. "A place under the earth. Like a little antechamber. It was in front of two giant red doors. It was me and four people. Two guys my age, a little kid maybe ten years old, and a little girl maybe six years old. The skinnier guy was crying and yelling at me, sounding like I betrayed him. The buffer guy just gave me a warning and made me promise to live. I told them to run. I opened the doors and entered. I screamed like a lunatic, bravely stupid. And then I sounded tortured. Like I was being mauled alive. And then no sounds came from anywhere." I coughed at the feeling of vomit rising again in my throat. "I knew I was dead."

Connor sat back and pressed two fingers to his temple, grunting lowly. "I fucking told those idiots. They ignored me. Now, look what happened. Will, call up another counselor meeting. Now. Anusha, you're coming too." I nodded slowly. At this point, I had no autonomy. I didn't mind, though. It meant I didn't have to think about anything. After that horrendous nightmare, I didn't want to think.

Connor handed me another tall glass, but this time full to the brim with what looked like apple juice. I sighed and took the glass carefully to avoid spilling any of the liquid. When I took a sip, I recoiled at the taste of my mom's apartment-complex-famous winter chai. No one makes chai like my mom, and especially not her widely-loved winter chai. Starbucks and other drink chains can try to make their version of India's best-known drink, but they fall short every time.

I drank the whole thing before I even realized how quickly I was gulping down the cool liquid. When I set down the glass, I felt completely refreshed, as if I just took a shower, popped a few caffeine pills, and drank a protein shake. I felt perfect, which was a rarity these days.

Will smiled at my sudden newfound energy. "Feel good? What did you taste?"

I raised an eyebrow. "My mom's chai. She makes it specifically in winter for everyone who comes to our door asking for a hot drink, whether it's our neighbor or the janitor of the apartment building. How did you guys manage to make apple juice taste like chai?"

Connor laughed brightly. I could almost believe he was a son of Apollo rather than Hermes. "Magic, Anusha. That's nectar. The drink of the gods. In controlled amounts, it can heal us and make us feel more alive. We didn't want to give you ambrosia just yet. It's kind of like pudding texture. Both taste different to each demigod. It's supposed to heal, so it tastes like what makes us feel happy and comforted."

"Makes sense." I stretched my arms and hopped out of bed, twisting side to side to get rid of the crock in my back. "So what are we waiting for?"

Will chuckled and stood up. "You. Come on."

Connor spoke into the walkie talkie that sat in the clip hung on his belt, asking the other counselors to join him and Will in the Big House for an emergency meeting.

I followed the two older boys out of the infirmary, which looked like a mini-hospital rather than a cabin or a first aid center that most camps would have. It was insane. They had all kinds of medical instruments and supplies that I couldn't name. Kids in scrubs, probably Apollo kids, tossed supplies over people's heads, catching everything perfectly, sometimes without even looking.

I strolled down the front steps and tailed them to the Big House, where I saw other counselors hurrying up the steps. Connor and Will huddled me into the rec room and sat me down in the same chair I sat in at the first meeting. The twenty counselors stared me down. Connor smiled comfortingly. "Just let it all out. We just want to know and help you, okay?"

This time, word-vomit came out of my mouth. I described everything I saw in the dream that I thought was of any importance. Everyone stared at me and frowned.

Will rubbed his face. "Why the fuck haven't you been claimed yet? Seriously, Anusha. This is getting weirder by the day."

I shrugged. "I couldn't even get other little kids to like me when I was young. My own mom basically ditched me. The chances of my godly parent wanting me are pretty low, I'd say."

Connor smiled helplessly. "I'd say that was the most depressing thing I ever heard, but I talk to Nico every day, so that's probably not true." He laughed, wincing when Nico punched his shoulder, a cold scowl gracing a proud, regal face.

I smiled quietly when I realized that Nico didn't punch Connor hard enough to actually damage any tissues this time. He nodded back at me in acknowledgment. My heart soared from that simple behavior. He actually remembered my astonishment that he'd hurt his boyfriend and was now softening his blows. I rubbed away some stray tears on my face when someone pointed them out. I waved off any concerned questions.

There was no real need to get so emotional over that, but after the weird and painful week I'd had, this simple show of understanding made my day.

Connor sighed and walked over, sitting on the ping pong table across from me. "I don't know how, kiddo, but you're obviously involved with this whole Hope situation. The necklace communicated with you. That's the craziest we've heard so far. The pegasi are off-put by your presence. You dodged a knitting needle without even looking. You're terrible at archery, but Nico tells me you're doing alright in his sword-fighting lessons. I just don't know where you belong, kiddo, and that's making shit difficult. Pray to your parent that they claim you soon. I know you don't want to associate with them at all, but just…for your own sake, you should."

My teeth chewed at my lower lip. I looked up at Connor. "Am I really gonna die? The dream felt so real, Connor. As if I was in it. Watching it. Experiencing it. I don't wanna die…"

He strode forward, drawing me into a hug. He rubbed my shoulders and shot me a warm grin. "Don't worry about that. Dreams aren't absolute truths. They may have implications, but not always. Demigods always have really weird dreams. It's just part of our lives. Sorry."

"Okay…can I go now?" My fingers picked at the frayed fibers of my jeans, pulling at them to keep my hands occupied so I wouldn't get lost in my own thoughts. Connor closely observed my face, blue eyes narrowed on every feature before nodding tersely.

"Just make sure you get to your activities on time. You missed lunch and dinner yesterday. Everyone's down at the arena. One of the Ares kids is teaching hand-to-hand combat." He patted my shoulder, and I high-tailed it out of there at top speed. Somehow, my body never collided with any wall, corner, or door on my way out of the Big House. I was so sick of everything to do with the Hope situation, even just being in that room.

I continued running to the arena. It was a freeing thing, to just move and cover distance without thinking too much.

A voice called out to me when I literally slid into the massive entrance. I looked down and sighed in relief when I saw no one had changed my clothes. Was I grossed out by myself? Yes. But I didn't care enough to run back to the showers and then come back. Class would have ended before I could join that way.

"You're late, ya know!" some guy shouted. "And we don't like tardiness, so you'll be the next fighter," the voice barked. I winced and slowly walked towards the group. A gaggle of Hermes kids and some other campers crowded around the stage set up for sword-fighting. The guy on the stage scowled down at me. That is, until he actually looked at me, and then he scowled more.

You know when you see something on the internet like a picture of a really weird animal or when you learn that there's such a thing as vampire plants, and you're like, 'What the fuck?! I didn't know it was even possible for a plant or animal to look like that!?’ That was me at that moment. I never knew that a human could be described as 'severe' until then. It was like going to an aquarium and seeing the weirdest animal ever and being terrified of it, but also fascinated.

This kid looked like the result of a giant having sex with a brick. He towered over most of us at a height of almost six feet, and each of his arms was bigger than my entire body, probably. His face looked like someone had rubbed off all the skin with sandpaper. His entire face was bright red. All sharp corners and harsh lines. I could feel the rage burning in those beady eyes even before I actually realized I had caused his anger. His plain white shirt stretched over his chest as if the cotton garment would tear at any moment, and his jeans were splattered with what looked like red paint, but could also have been blood. His combat boots were smeared with mud and dirt. A thin mouth contorted into a sneer.

"The newbie arrives terribly late. Good to know you're not nearly as responsible as you should be for your age," he jeered. My face heated up extensively. Some of the kids snickered amongst themselves. "What's your excuse for missing the first quarter of class? Laziness? Boredom? Lack of discipline? Or is it all three?"

I'd heard enough. I got talks like these from teachers and friends' parents when I told them I wanted to pursue a career in linguistics or writing rather than medicine or engineering or something else in STEM.

I scowled. "I had to go to a counselor meeting. Not because I'm gonna be one, but because I'm weird enough that they needed to talk to me. I'm on oath to reveal no information beyond that. But seriously, what the fuck is your deal? As a teacher, you should be open-minded, understanding, compassionate, and calm. Not this bullshit. I have an excuse for being late. What excuse do you have for being a fucking jackass?"

Everyone went silent. The guy's face flushed bright red all the way up to his crew cut and all the way down his tree trunk of a neck. He clenched fists the size of small meteorites and snarled. "STAGE. NOW!"

Unwilling to back down from my angry rant, I hefted myself up onto the stage and stood in front of him. "What now? Gonna trash-talk me to death?"

He smirked, a menacing grin rather than a simple smug look. "No. I'm gonna beat you to a pulp!" He tossed a few punches at me, which I somehow dodged. I didn't understand my luck, but I went with the flow. I tried to make my body remember the feeling I had when I dodged that knitting needle and smoothly avoided his attacks.

My luck fell short because he landed a few punches to my face, but not until I got him hard in the jaw with a rough, scampering right hook. He grunted at the impact, staggering back a step before lunging at me again. I could feel the blood seeping down the side of my mouth and slowly rising to the surface of my swollen cheek.

I stepped back and then to the side, blocking his punches with the hand position I recalled attempting at those self-defense classes. He tried to kick at me, but I moved in closer along the length of his leg and got him a few times in the chest and once upside the chin. That only angered him further, and I had to hit the ground and roll forward to avoid some of his blows. He stood up, face red and dripping all over with sweat. He came at me with a haymaker that I narrowly avoided.

Even more enraged than before, the giant idiot caught a sword and shield one of the other kids tossed him and braced them, the sword pointed right at me. Fear formed a giant mountain in my stomach. I barely held him off by whipping out my knife in time and catching the blow of the sword before it cut through my face.

He forced me back and swung the sword around a few times to get comfortable with the weight and balance of the sword before coming at me again. But before he could actually land a hit with his sword, a harsh metal clang rang through the air. I had clenched my eyes tightly to avoid looking at death in the face, only to see that another sword had stopped my imminent demise. I couldn't even think to defend myself with my knives, one of which was already out. I peeked through the fingers of my other hand and gaped at the sight of one of the dudes from my dream holding off the other guy's sword with his own bronze sword.

He pushed forward and my shitty hand-to-hand combat teacher fell backward, settling his sword at his side while glaring at my savior. The first guy scowled. "Tatoany, you know what I've told you about interfering in my lessons."

Tatoany spoke elegantly, carelessly, as if he could give no fucks about the other guy and how apparently dangerous he was. He gave off an air of illogical confidence and self-assurance in his own abilities. I wanted to be him, in that moment. "And you know what I've told you about your terrible teaching style, Mark. A teacher is a guide, not a master. Instead of giving this girl a lesson, you're punishing her for activities and circumstances beyond her control. You know I don't like reactive punishments."

Mark scowled again, tossing down his sword and shield. He grumbled, turning to the other campers, whose faces expressed a horror I couldn't mirror, simply due to the shock of the sudden attack and equally sudden protection. "Guys, this is my younger brother, Tatoany Castillo, another son of Ares."

Tatoany smiled dimly and tipped his head at the others before looking at me peculiarly. His eyes widened, but his surprise left as quickly as it arrived. He murmured in my ear softly so only I could hear, "Come meet me by the canoe lake. I know we have a lot to talk about." I was too shocked to reply, at first, but upon realizing he actually made a request, nodded slowly. Fortunately for us, we were both great actors and played it off as Tatoany simply apologizing for his shitty brother and me being too shy and nervous and scared to say anything else.

After some forced apologies from Mark, the class resumed as normal.

I already hated it more than any of the other activities. Sure, I sucked ass at most of the stuff I tried, but at least no one was trying to murder me during the lessons.

Comparatively to the other Hermes kids, I was pretty good, but not enough to defend myself if that lunatic Mark decided he still hated me for talking back. Then again, he had years of experience and was an Ares kid, so fighting came naturally to him. Learning to fight was an uphill battle for me.

Tatoany stayed for the duration of the lesson as if to keep an eye on Mark and make sure his older brother didn't start another fight with a complete newbie.

Frankly, the younger son of Ares was a better teacher than Mark, who had no patience for any questions or confusion. On the other hand, Tatoany taught everyone very slowly and responded with intelligent, helpful answers to any and all questions his brother refused to answer. A few times, when Mark asked us to partner up, Tatoany acted as my partner because there was an odd number of campers. Even then, he taught so well and guided me through all the strikes and blocks with saintly calmness.

And even after we finished the lessons, Tatoany had me sit down on a bench and write down on a notepad a list of items: what I thought I did well, what I thought needed improvement, what he thought I did well, and what he thought needed improvement. He nodded in approval at the bullet points and handed the piece of paper back to me, advising that I keep the notepad he gave me when he saw I had no paper on me. I returned his pen and stood up.

He tucked the pen into the front pocket of his jeans, tugging awkwardly at the hem of his orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. "So. Um."

I couldn't help but laugh at the uncomfortable silence. "Relax, brother. I don't bite. Where are you headed next?"

Tatoany shrugged. "Down to the pavilion. I haven't eaten all day."

"Me neither. Mind if I join you?" I asked as we began walking. He shook his head. The trek continued in silence. "So where is your mother from? Tatoany isn't exactly a common name here in the US," I commented.

He chuckled. "For sure. My mother is from Mexico. Her family dates back hundreds of years to the last remaining group of Aztecs not hunted down or dead after the Spanish conquest. They were able to run away and hide near the western coast of Mexico. They were safe for a while. Only a few decades ago did they finally come out of hiding. Of course, we all eventually learned Spanish along with our native Nahuatl, but it was a bigger struggle for me to learn English when I was young. My mother and I moved to the Southwest. Even though we didn't speak the native tongue of those natives, we bonded over our mutual hatred for colonizers."

His story fascinated me more than anything else I'd heard at camp so far. "I was always super interested in the Native American myths for the longest time. I loved learning about them in school, but since I lived in Chicago, I didn't have many native groups or peoples to talk to. I was always sad to hear stories of how terrible and dysfunctional some of the reservations are. My mother always taught me about how she wanted to take care of her parents when they got older, but they never wanted to because she had me out of marriage. I feel like that's what America did. The colonizers came in and basically ruined the parents' lives and profited from that destruction, and now when the parents ask for help, America ignores them."

Tatoany hummed and nodded. "It's quite a tragedy. I'm just glad that native people are taking a stand and trying to get better rights for their communities. It's so heartwarming to see even that sliver of improvement." He paused for a few seconds before wondering aloud, "Where are you from?"

I grinned. "My mother and I are from Kerala, which is a state in southwestern India. We speak Malayalam at home, mixed with some English, as is the case for most Indian people. She had me there but moved us here quickly after with my dad's help. I never spoke to him, but I didn't care about that. My mom was my best friend, my only friend, until this past school year."

The young man shot me a sad frown. "Was? Is she…passed on?"

I shook my head. "No. She just doesn't want to talk to me anymore. I tried to call her yesterday from the camp phone, but she heard my voice and then cut the call. I kinda lost it and passed out. It sounds so melodramatic, but my mom was my whole world. When she cut the line, I went crazy," I admitted.

He patted my back. "That's rough."

I nodded, a glimmer of hope fluctuating in my chest. No one really ever responded like that. No one tried to just understand the situation and leave it at that. There was always some kind of pity or concern for me. Something more. But I appreciated this guy a lot.

He looked at me curiously. "You're the one with the weird stories, right?"

I groaned. "Already, my rep is in the trash. What are people saying?"

He laughed softly, a scratchy, but pleasing sound. Like the rub of sandpaper on rough wood. Harsh at first, but smooth as time passed on. "Nothing bad, don't worry. Just odd. Someone said you threw a knitting needle at someone's head without even looking too hard. And that you swam like a hundred yards. I vaguely recall someone mentioning that one of the pegasi was scared of you."

"Yeah. All true. The needle incident was kind of accidental. Kind of instinctual. I wasn't really thinking about it. The swimming was because I loved swimming when I was in elementary and middle school. I was even on the swim team last year, but I had to quit because I was losing too much hair. The pegasi thing just makes me depressed. I love horses so much, so I thought this would be my big chance to ride an almost superior equestrian, but the pegasus really didn't like me. I'm pretty bad at archery, but I need to practice that."

He nodded. "Understandable. Want me to teach you? I'm not the best, but I can teach well, and you saw that, I'm pretty sure."

I beamed. "Really?! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Tatoany put his hands up. "Chill. No being super excited like that. I can't deal with that much energy."

I pouted but agreed.

"In fact, why don't I just be your trainer?"

A smirk grew on my face. "Is this a ploy to get back at your brother? Because if so, I agree."

He laughed again. "No. Not at all. I just think it would benefit both of us. I learn better by teaching, and you need to be taught."

I held back any outrageous requests or comments. "But what can I teach you? Teaching should be a two-way street. If just one person teaches, it won't be fun."

He sighed. "Of course. Well, what do you know?"

I shrugged. "I can knit really well. I swim alright. I can speak two languages fluently. I can kinda sing. I'm great at making friends. I'm good at pseudo-parenting. I'm pretty damn good at writing if I do say so myself. And I pick up on languages fairly quickly. I have some skills with playing instruments, but only percussion. And I'm really good at talking to people older than me." Tatoany gave me a weird look at the last part, but I shook my head. "Don't even bother asking."

He snorted. "Alright." We walked in silence for another five minutes before he piped up again. "Mind teaching me how to make friends?"

I winced. "Not sure if I'll be super helpful, but I can try."

He frowned. "But lots of people are always talking to you. Yeah, it's mostly the Hermes kids, but still." I stared at him, not believing what I was hearing.

"Bro, have you been stalking me?"

His copper skin flushed bright pink. "No! I just see you a lot at the Big House walking with Connor and Nico and those guys. I spend a lot of time learning from Chiron since I don't really get along with my siblings too well."

I nodded, barely suppressing my laughter. "Cool. But you actually need help making friends?"

He grunted in affirmation. "I've been told by some younger Ares kids that I'm unapproachable from my ‘RBF’, whatever that is."

"It stands for ‘Resting Bitch Face’. It means you constantly look like you hate the world and everyone in it. It's kind of scary for people who are used to much brighter or more active emotional behavior. I only use RBF when I have to walk anywhere alone and feel scared. It keeps people away."

He ducked his head and scratched the back of his neck. "How do you get along well with people? Being emotional isn't one of my strong suits."

I smiled. "I can see that." He glared for a moment. I backtracked quickly. "Not like that! It's just that some people have a harder time expressing emotions than others. You seem like the very calm, collected type. Not super dramatic or over the top, like others here."

"Correct on all counts," he sighed.

"Hey, that's no big deal. People who aren't super emotional can still make friends. That has nothing to do with making a bond with people."

He raised a dark, strong eyebrow at my words.

I sighed. "It sounds dumb and oxymoronic, but it's true. You learn how to express yourself when you have friends. To make friends, you just need to be willing to put in the effort to learn about the person and care about them and enjoy spending time with them."

He nodded slowly. "So how do I do that?"

I grinned. "First, get along with your siblings."

Tatoany groaned. "You're a terrible teacher."

"Quite the opposite, my good man. Now, come along. We're gonna go hang out with your siblings," I announced.

He huffed. "They're not easy to get along with."

Snorting, I pulled him along. "You can get along with anyone if you look for things to relate about. No complaining. You wanted to learn how to make friends? Learn to get along with your family first. Come on."

Tatoany rolled his eyes but allowed me to drag him down to the pavilion. A few of his siblings were sitting at the Ares table, which I presume the siblings painted in its disturbing shade of red. Tatoany walked in front when we approached the group of five, smiling nervously. Even the head counselor of Ares, the giant Asian dude from the first meeting I went to, was sitting there. The aforementioned giant Asian dude grinned, waving once to Tatoany.

"Hey, little brother. Here to finally join us for breakfast?" the guy called out with a smirk. "And you brought a guest! Nice."

My giant companion groaned and sat down with his siblings, pulling me down to sit beside him. On my left was a guy a year younger than me, and to Tatoany's right was a little girl of maybe twelve years. The counselor guy nodded at me. "Hey, kid. Doin' alright?"

I smiled. "Hey, man. Doin' okay. You?"

He shrugged. "Getting by. Always a mess at Ares. Any reason you're over here and not with your Hermes brats?"

Tatoany gave me a pleading, helpless look. 'Please don't tell them,’ his eyes begged me.

While it's true that my heart melted from the sweet plea of his face (I didn't think he could even make that expression!), I was not about to lie to the counselor of the Ares cabin, of all people. I patted Tatoany's arm and looked at his elder brother.

"Well, this guy here just saved my ass when I got into a bit of an argument with Mark. The guy was pissed that I was late to his hand-to-hand combat class. Talked some trash to me, and I shot back. He and I threw some punches, and then some kid handed him a sword and shield. I didn't die or get any major injuries, but I was terrified. I was scared I would die. You Ares kids are huge. I thought Mark was gonna plow my head through with his sword, but Tatoany stepped in at the right moment. We talked for a bit after class. He offered to train me because I really can't do shit and asked me to teach him how to make more friends in return. I agreed, and told him the first part of making friends is getting along with family."

My new acquaintance's face flushed deep pink, and he covered it with both hands. "I hate you so much."

I laughed and leaned my head against his arm. "Impossible! You just met me!"

He grumbled and rolled his eyes, pushing my head off his shoulder lightly. "Eat something. I don't think you've eaten since yesterday. You were barely moving in class. I thought you were gonna fall over."

"Yep. Passed out sometime yesterday afternoon. Will said I missed lunch and dinner," I agreed.

"Point taken." He raised a hand and waved to a dryad, who smiled sweetly and handed us plates of food. She giggled and hurried off after he thanked her in a very soft voice.

The counselor guy smirked. "So my little brother finally wants to join the family. Good to hear. Thanks for making him do this. Tatoany's a good kid, but too nervous around us. Teach him some trust, yeah?" He held his hand out to me, not even needing to reach over the table. "Name's Sherman Yang."

I shook his hand with a big, stupid grin on my face. "Yes, sir. Anusha Rajachari. Nice to meet you guys."

Sherman nodded and looked around the table, motioning to each individual, making everyone introduce themselves. The dude beside me, Max, smiled with incredibly manic energy alight in his eyes, chocolate hair and ivory skin contrasting painfully against the red of his shirt. The guys to the left and right of the head counselor were James and Arthur, respectively. Both were as severe as Mark, but not nearly as high-strung. They both had blond hair of slightly different shades. James' hair puffed up in soft curls of honey blonde, his tanned skin warm against the color of the weird red table. Arthur's hair was almost white, too bright compared to his deep brown skin. The girl beside Tatoany was softer than the rest of her siblings and half as muscular, blue hair shining sweetly as she pulled at the long locks. Little Kayda played with the ends of her orange T-shirt before waving to me, precious joy shining in her almond eyes.

My heart melted again. Tatoany's did too, from his adoring expression. I knew she was his favorite sibling. Before we dug in, though, the seven of us stood and walked down to the giant fire in the center of the pavilion. I forgot to mention this earlier in the rush of trying to explain all the weird shit that happened at camp on my first few days. At every meal, we had to make a little offering to the gods before eating. We would pick a part of our meal and toss it into the fire.

I always offered a variety. Sometimes fruit or some fresh vegetables or a wonderful piece of dessert or even some warm bread. I tried to offer as healthy and balanced an amount of food as possible. I didn't pray to any specific god like some did. I just offered and sat down at my seat again. Why would I pray to a parent who didn't even want me enough to stick around in my childhood? Maybe that was the godly way, but I was bitter and didn't care.

During breakfast that day, I dropped in my favorite breakfast pastry - a simple apple and walnut muffin with cinnamon sprinkled on top - and asked whoever my parent was to claim me quickly so I wouldn't inconvenience the other counselors.

They had a lot on their plates, from taking care of their siblings to handling their own activities to now managing the Hope situation. It was too much for them to deal with, and I didn't want to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

And if getting claimed was going to take away at least a fraction of their stress about the Hope situation, I wanted that to happen as soon as possible.

I didn't care at all about my godly parent. I had no desire or need to suck up to a person who wasn't even part of my life beyond creating the zygote that became me. But the idea that me not knowing my godly parent was an inconvenience to others, that really concerned me.

It made no sense, though. What in the world did my godly parent's identity have anything to do with a cursed necklace? But because I had no idea about anything anymore, I chose to make simple moves. If I had to find out my godly parent, I would do that. The next step depends on what the other head counselors say in response to whoever my godly parent is.

But I put aside all the worries in my mind and returned to the Ares table, plopping down next to Tatoany, who muttered something under his breath that I didn't catch. He nodded hello to me and smiled faintly at his little sister. The young girl mostly spoke Japanese, but if she spoke in English, she only spoke to Tatoany, whose gentle-giant disposition and low, warm voice soothed everyone at the table.

Sherman nodded hello to me much like his younger brother did a second ago. "Liking camp so far?"

I sighed.

"I don't know. It's been weird. My mom suddenly kicks me out. I learn that my dad is a god. My cabin mates are sweet but are so much more talented than I am. I can't shoot an arrow. I can barely fight, whether with a sword or with my hands. I can't run fast. My swimming is good, but it's definitely worse than when I was in middle school. The pegasi are scared of me. My mom suddenly doesn't even want to talk to me anymore. And then I learn some of that weird stuff that you saw at the meetings," I said cautiously. I didn't want to reveal any info regarding the head counselor meetings I attended to any of the others at the table.

"It's not been the best experience. But I made some good friends, helped some young girls with their girl issues, and found some cool knives that I'll keep until I die. Kind of a mix of shitty and good, honestly."

Sherman chuckled, bobbing his head as he listened to my rant. "Yeah. It's like that. You get used to it eventually, though. Just take things day by day. Don't overwhelm yourself, alright? And make sure you keep good company. Having friends and allies in camp is always important. And believe me. You can learn anything. Camp Half-Blood is a place to learn and grow. If you put your mind to it, put in the practice, and put in effort to work with your mentor, there isn't much you can't do. Some things require prior skill. Others you improve upon every day."

I smiled and hummed. "Thanks, Sherman. That really helps." I laughed quietly. "And to think I was losing my mind over not learning something fast enough when I have an entire summer."

He smirked. "You kids are always thinking too fast. Too far. It's important in a battle. In life. But not when you're still learning the ropes. Figure out the game and then prep for the future. You can't prepare a meal unless you got the ingredients, right? Unless you have the basics down, you shouldn't worry about the advanced shit."

"I'm fourteen. I'm not a kid," I retorted, huffing at the accusation.

Sherman laughed harder than was necessary. "You can't even take the test to get a learner's permit to drive. You're definitely a kid." I pouted and looked at Tatoany, who wore a similar expression, but without the actual pout.

"I hate you all so much." Tatoany's voice lacked any real heat or spite, so I figured he didn't actually mean it. Besides, how can you hate someone you don't know? I just grinned and watched as Kayda poked his arm and whispered something in his ear. With a petulant huff, Tatoany dropped his croissant onto her plate, rolling his eyes when she giggled and kissed his cheek.

I stared at them. "Is she even real? I feel like she's a fairy that just duped you out of your delicious croissant."

James snickered. "She's real alright. Kid came to camp with a satyr some two weeks ago. The poor guy was so confused because she couldn't speak any English. She had only recently moved here from Japan. Her school taught English, but she couldn't pick it up very well. So, her mom almost always handled social situations for her. And for school, she joined the ESOL program. When she came here, we thought it would be impossible to communicate with her. She was so nervous and shaky. Didn't even make eye contact with Chiron. But she and Tatoany here met and immediately got along perfectly. It was like a fuckin' Disney movie. The guy learned some Japanese with the help of the Athena and Hermes kids so he could talk to her easier. She learned English quicker than we thought possible. She's mostly fluent but only speaks to Tatoany in English. Talk about having a favorite sibling."

A coo escaped my lips before I could hold it back. The other six looked at me weirdly, except for sweet Kayda who smiled and waved. "Oh, leave me alone. That's the cutest thing I've ever heard."

Arthur grinned, nodding. "Damn straight. These two are sickeningly sweet. It's so gross how cute it is. I don't think I could have a relationship like that with any of these idiots," he joked while motioning to Sherman, James, Max, and Tatoany.

I laughed. "You'd think so. But if even this brute has such a soft heart, you all can grow one," I replied, patting Tatoany's back hard. He grunted at the impact and rolled his eyes.

A loud "Ooooh!" rang all around the table.

"Hands off, tiny," my giant native friend muttered, picking my hand up and placing it on the table. "I don't want to catch your childishness, assuming it isn't already infecting my blood."

I smirked with the others, another louder "Oooooooooh!" spurring through the group.

"Good one, good one. I concede this victory to you, oh great one!" I replied, bowing my head dramatically with a hand placed over my chest.

Tatoany rolled his eyes, but I spotted the hint of a smile squeezing through the corner of his lips. "Oh, shut up."

Having ceased the visceral consumption of his morning meal, Max turned to me and asked with what sounded like a mixture of pity, curiosity, and amusement lilting in his tone, "So you haven't been claimed yet?"

A slow exhale exited my body at his words. "Nope. Don't know why, but maybe it'll happen at some point."

He hummed, returning to his food before asking once again, "Who do you want it to be?"

I stopped eating at that.

I'd never contemplated who I would want my godly parent to be. Probably because I didn't care about them, to begin with, but also because I felt like no matter who my father was, I would disappoint him and my siblings. I had no real skills beyond the ones I've listed about twenty times already. I figured it didn't matter who my parent was because I wouldn't satisfy his or my half-siblings' expectations for what a child of that god should be like.

"Never really thought about it. I don't think I care. I mean, why does that matter?"

He pressed on. "Well, everyone here kind of guesses who their parent might be from childhood experiences or from what others tell them about their possible parentage. You have no guesses at all?"

I shrugged. "I mean, I don't know what my childhood tells me. I never had many friends. I figure that's a norm here, but I really only made friends this past school year. In elementary school, some girl started a rumor about me that I gave her bronchitis or smallpox or something else contagious, and no one touched me after that. It was something random, too. Something that was probably eradicated years before I was born. My mom said monsters tried to crush me under a pillar at the Parthenon in Georgia. I think there was maybe an accident in a lake. And our apartment caught on fire twice. There was stuff like that. But that doesn't tell me anything of who my godly parent might be."

Tatoany tapped his chin while thinking, having set down his fork while listening to my little spiel.

Sherman raised an eyebrow. "You gave a kid bronchitis? Were you sick too?"

I tried to recall that day in third grade. It was hard to remember the specifics of what the girl and I said to one another, but I could visualize other things, like how I felt that day. "No. I don't think I ever got sick as a kid."

"That's pretty weird. You must have had a great immune system," commented James.

"Right?! I mean, that seems weird because my mom and I were dirt poor until middle school started for me. We didn't eat too well, and Chicago is notorious for its horrendous snow. Like, New York doesn't get to complain more about the snow than we do! All things considered, I should have been sick as all hell." I exclaimed.

Tatoany grunted. "Maybe that should tell you something. Is there a god of sickness or disease?"

I rolled my eyes. "Dude, one instance where I maybe gave a kid something contagious isn't indicative of me being a certain god's kid. It could be that I just passed whatever I had onto someone else before symptoms could manifest in me." I grabbed my fork and finished the rest of my breakfast of roasted potatoes, fresh veggies, a bowl of fruit, a little bread roll with jam, and a glass of apple juice. It surprised me how much hungrier I became after coming to camp.

Sherman pointed at Tatoany with his strawberry-tipped fork. "She's got a point there, buddy. Just one thing doesn't make her anyone's kid. It's like saying that a kid being good at stealing means he's a son of Hermes. That's not the rule. Hell, Piper McLean stole a bunch of cars, and she's a daughter of Aphrodite."

I gaped. "Wait. McLean as in the actor? The super hot dude from all those dramatic war movies? Oh my god. His daughter went here?!"

The head counselor laughed. "I see we've got a fan here."

My lips allowed a squeak to escape without my permission. "Who wouldn't be?! Have you seen the guy?! Oh my god, I'm not surprised Aphrodite went after him. The man is an angel on Earth. Quite literally. Gorgeous and kind and smart. Where can you find that these days?!"

Arms wrapped around my shoulders from behind as a sharp chin pressed down into my shoulder. "Right here, Anu. Damn, you're so mean!" a playful female voice complained. I turned slightly and grinned.

"If you want compliments, Emilia, go ask Jonah. You don't get to expect me to be nice when you didn't even say hello when I got here!" I teased. She rolled her eyes and huffed, rocking us back and forth.

"Whatever. I see we've got a popular girl here. You really do get along with everyone. Who was your ticket to this table?" she wondered, poking my sides and relishing the sound of my disapproving laughter.

"Tatoany. The guy asked me to help him make more friends, and I told him to get along with his family more, so that's what I'm doing," I explained. She nodded and waved at my friendship-pupil, who nodded back with disgruntlement in his face.

Emilia smirked. "What a grumpy but pretty guy. You keepin' this one? If you don't want him, I'll take him!"

"You're such a weirdo. Get off my back, Lia," I whined. With one last poke at my childish voice, she pecked my temple and hurried back to the Hermes table, winking at James and making a two-fingered salute. James watched on with wide eyes before turning to me.

I grumbled. "That girl is the most stressful being of the century."

Sherman laughed broadly. "She seems cool. It's good to see you kids having good friends. Like I said, that's the most important part of being here at CHB. The friendships you make will sustain you for life, kid. Take my word for it." I nodded slowly and gathered my fork and spoon on my plate, laying my napkin on top.

"Got it. Hey, anybody else want me to take their plates for them?" I asked. Sherman refused at first but agreed after my explanation to Tatoany that learning to get along with family is sometimes just taking care of little things like this for them. The two of us carried the plates down to the collection area before walking back to the Ares table. Kayda smiled brightly and gave me a tight hug before scurrying off with her friends. Needless to say, I felt honored.

Sherman nodded at us. "You guys go ahead and talk. I could fucking feel your thoughts. Tatoany, we got archery. Head down to the range when you're done talking. Anusha, I think Connor mentioned Hermes is at the stables. Don't be too late, okay?"

With simultaneous nods, Tatoany and I rushed off to the beach to speak in private.

"I love your siblings, dude," I commented to Tatoany when we decided to walk down the edge between the beach and the forest.

He smirked faintly. "You'd be the first to admit it."

I shrugged. "I'm not afraid to tell people I love them. Especially not friends. They're usually the ones that need to hear it the most. Family knows it because you still associate yourself with them. But friends can't know unless you tell them."

The young man walked in silence before replying, "You know a lot about friendships for someone who claims to have had basically no friends until freshman year of high school."

"Yeah, well, when you don't have any friends to talk to, you instead end up listening to others to learn about friendships and how they should work. It's why even though I don't have too many friends in school, the ones I do have are very special to me and are very close to my heart."

"Wise."

I smiled. "Thanks."

We continued the little trek.

"Let's get to the point. We saw each other in our dreams."

I hated how quickly he breached the topic without any form of hesitation or restraint. But, I wouldn't dare speak that disapproval aloud. "Yep."

He sighed, raking his fingers through his hair. "What did you see in your dream of me?"

* * *

We went back and forth for the next hour, comparing our dreams and attempting to decipher what they meant.

Tatoany apparently saw the other guy, me, and the two kids in his dream too. The catch is, we all made it out alive because the two kids went slightly ahead of us older demigods while we fought off the monsters.

We tried to figure out if this other kid attended camp with us, but found no information of his existence when we asked the camp counselors. We came to an agreement that we'd wait until the end of the month to see if he was even real and if the dreams were worth paying attention to.

After that, we went our separate ways. He hurried off to archery while I returned to the pegasi stables and made some more failed attempts to get along with Ricky, the Akhal-Teke pegasus.

Of course, I sat this lesson out too, but sat against the wall perpendicular to the door of his stable rather than outside. If I was going to get along with him, I figured he had to get used to my presence, even if he hated it. I felt terribly guilty for forcing my existence into his space, but I really wanted him to like me, so I would sit and try until there was no hope left.

Jesse just smiled at me before leading everyone and their pegasi out of the stables.

When class ended, I made my way back to the sword-fighting arena, where Nico once again awaited us. He grinned and waved. Smiling, I jumped up on stage and took the sword one of my cabin mates handed to me. "Thanks, bruh!" The guy nodded before running off to get his own sword.

Nico nodded hello. "Doin' alright?"

"Yep. Hung out with some of the Ares kids today. They're not too bad."

He smirked. "That's a first. Ready for class?"

I shrugged, snickering. "If you're asking whether I'm ready to get pummeled, the answer is no. If you're asking whether I have confidence that I won't die during class today, the answer is yes." He laughed softly and clapped my back with a strong hand.

"Good. We need confidence. We're going to learn footwork today. And we'll combine that with the stuff from the previous lesson. Hope you've got your teaching cap on. This is gonna be a while."

"What makes you think my teaching cap is ever off?"

He laughed again and nodded. "Good answer."

I pretended to curtsy at his praise. The two of us stretched and prepared for the lesson quietly while the rest of the class trickled in as the minute hand approached twelve on my watch. Nico demonstrated a few of the new moves we'd be learning in class and had me drill them as everyone took a sword and stood in front of the stage. This was probably my favorite class by far, even though I was still a beginner. Mostly because Nico is the best instructor ever.

When the son of Hades began his intro for the lesson, I sat on a little stool and watched until he asked me to join him in showing the others how to do the first movement of the class.

I demonstrated a simple underhanded parry with Nico, nothing too complex. Nico made me repeat the motion for what felt like a hundred times. And half the time, it was just because one of the kids couldn't see from their position and asked me to do it again after being able to observe properly.

Despite the dull ache and the slow burn beginning in my arms and upper body, I continued the lesson anyways, doing whatever it was that Nico asked. I didn't mind. For a guy who teaches so well, he fought even better. I aspired to fight as well as him someday, even though that probably wouldn't be possible. Nico's skills were beyond the ability of anyone else at camp.

I have to admit, though, that lesson in particular was so much more fun. We had some previous experience with the first lesson, so this class just added to that knowledge. Learning is always more fun when you can see and apply skills more visibly. That's why some people hate school so much. They can't see the development and change in their skills because school teaches subliminal abilities like problem-solving and stuff. With Nico's classes, you know exactly how much you've learned and remembered from the previous lesson.

At one point, when everyone partnered up and immersed themselves in their practice, Nico kept us on stage and taught me some more techniques, a few that were specific to knives, seeing as how I had not really used my weapons yet, and a few that were specific to swords since that was his specialty.

I was so happy that day. Just learning from him gave me so much joy. There was, is, and always will be a lot to learn from Nico di Angelo.

But aside from my obvious hero-worship, I truly learned how to fight properly that day. Minute though they were, the number of techniques, Nico made me practice them over and over until I was able to use them efficiently without his guidance. I never felt more proud of myself than at that moment. Actually, scratch that.

I don't ever remember being proud of myself.

Ew, that was depressing.

Let's go back to the lesson.

Most of my friends performed far better than they did in the first class. Emilia's spacing for her limbs had improved greatly. Jonah wisely chose a sword small enough for his tiny height, and some of the older Hermes guys actually were productive instead of messing around. All in all, class passed on wonderfully.

Except for the flaming arrow.

Let me explain.

Nico and I were up on the stage watching the kids nearest to us. We just taught them all a new technique. These kids had it down, but a few were struggling with the acute movement of their wrists. So, I jumped off the stage and walked over to assist them where I thought necessary, only checking with Nico when I was unsure of something. Just as I turned to look up at the older demigod teacher, I sensed a projectile coming his way. I didn't know what it was, but I knew it had a high temperature and was coming at him. It was maybe twenty feet away when I first felt it. What alerted me wasn't like the itch or subconscious hum of spider-sense. It was more like a smack to my cerebral cortex, hindbrain, and medulla oblongata, indicating, 'HEY! SHIT IS COMING AT YOU, DUDE! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!' (I mean, technically, the arrow wasn’t coming at me, but it was a similar sensation. Probably because Nico’s a friend to me.)

As my brain suggested, I did do something about it.

I yoinked a shield away from one of the kids and turned counterclockwise, tossing the shield diagonally like a frisbee, which was apparently perfect timing because the arrow landed right in the center of the giant bronze shield about four feet away from Nico's dark-haired head. The shield clattered to the ground, the flaming arrow now just an arrow embedded in the disc of metal.

I bent over with relief that nothing hit him, panting softly to catch my breath.

To my great misfortune, though, that meant everyone in the class had witnessed what just occurred. I stood up again to find about thirty pairs of eyes staring at me like I'd grown a third arm out of my chest. "Lucky shot, huh?" I suggested weakly, laughing with obvious nervousness in my tone.

A voice shouted out, "LUCKY, MY ASS!"

I winced and looked over my shoulder at a fuming Will Solace, who stormed towards me and Nico, weird rage bright in his eyes. He stood in front of me, baby blues alight with unexpected fury. "That wasn't lucky, kid. That was perfect. No one else knew that a flaming arrow would try to lodge itself into my boyfriend's head."

I vaguely recall peeking over at Nico, whose face flushed bright pink at the word 'boyfriend'.

Will barrelled on. "No, that wasn't luck. That was precise. I'm not saying you wanted to hurt Nico with that flaming arrow. That's impossible. I'm saying you did that because you knew exactly what to do. No one else reacted as quickly as you did, and more than half of the class has been at camp longer than you have."

I looked away, trying to avoid calling any more attention to myself. What had been a great day suddenly was not. "Look, it was instinctual. I didn't know shit."

He sighed. "Did you know the arrow was going to hit him?"

"Yes."

"Did you know you had to do something?'

"Yes."

"Did you react appropriately and at the right time?"

"Yes." I hated these questions.

"Then you knew what to do."

I groaned. "Can we just go back to class?"

Nico snorted. "Class ends in a minute, kid."

"You both hate me."

Like the assholes they are, Nico and Will responded simultaneously. "It's not hate, it's friendship." They threw shark-like grins at one another, clasping hands as they walked after me.

I rolled my eyes and hung up my sword, checking to see that I still had my knives and the rest of my belongings. I was so done with today. Completely, utterly done.

Sighing, I let Nico and Will trail me as I wandered down to the canoe lake to get in some swimming before lunch began. I hoped they would hurry off on their own and let me just walk in peace, but they followed the entire time, holding hands and speaking softly. Unable to bear their weirdly open stalking, I stopped in my tracks a few feet away from the dock and whipped around to glare at them. That didn't affect them at all.

"Why are you guys following me? Don't you have other shit to do?"

Will smiled. "Maybe. But we just wanna talk to you in private. The Hope situation is getting weirder by the minute, and you know it." His smile melted into a hesitant frown by the end of his statement.

I groaned. "Can't we talk about this later? I just discovered that I'm more of a weirdo than I previously thought. I need some time alone." They put their hands up in surrender, sighing.

My brain pulled back the memory of Will shouting that I didn't just get lucky when I tossed that shield to make sure the arrow didn't hit Nico. "Also, that's another thing. Why is it that every time something weird happens to me, you guys are always escalating it?! Like, even the slightest shit happens, you turn it into this whole fuckin' thing! What's your deal?!"

Nico and Will looked at one another before turning back to me. "We were hoping that if we made the events seem odder than usual, your godly parent might recognize you and claim you. We don't mean to make you an outcast, but the events after your arrival are weird as shit, and we're trying to deal with that too," he consoled.

And then I felt like shit for being so mad. I rubbed my temples and looked at them. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you just wanted to help. But really, guys. I need some time to myself. This week has been rough for me. Give me an hour or so, and then I'm all yours at lunch, okay?"

The two guys slowly nodded and left, clearly still unsure about leaving me here alone or about not talking to me before lunch. I couldn't figure out which one.

Eventually, I opted to ignore all of my problems and dove into the lake without a care that my clothes would weigh me down. They didn't, actually. I swam along the edge of the lake for a few laps until I felt confident enough to swim the diameter of the fairly shallow body of water. I smiled at some of the naiads that swam beside me, their sweet faces shimmering in the water as locks of obsidian and extremely comfortable-looking green T-shirts floating in the water.

"You guys must have a lot of fun here, huh? So peaceful and calm. I would just live here if I could. You guys have it so nice," I confessed while leaning against one of the poles holding up the dock. One of the naiads giggled and relaxed in the water beside me, reaching her hands out and weaving them through my hair. I melted into her touch and sighed. "Thanks."

She giggled again, sounding like the fluttering of a river early in the morning. She kissed my cheek and started combing through my hair with water-soft fingers, nails scraping wonderfully along my scalp.

"You're a blessing, you know that?" I hummed.

She rolled her eyes, pinching my side playfully. So this one wasn't as docile and go-with-the-flow as her sisters. She had a bit of bite to her personality. With inhuman delicacy and precision, she began braiding my hair into a complex style, pulling and twisting strands of my hair and keeping them in place with adorable silver hairpins. She reached down into the water and conjured a beautiful hand mirror of intricate carvings and designs on the handle and border of the mirror's surface.

I looked into the glass and gaped. I didn't even recognize myself. I wasn't drop-dead gorgeous or anything. That's just not possible. But my hair looked amazing! So shiny and smooth and organized into a beautiful half-up-half-down braid kind of style with the top half puffed up at the front of my hairline as the braid of the bottom half hung over my shoulder. Little waves of hair framed my face, which wasn't covered in bruises or cuts for once. (Hand-to-hand combat is intense.)

She smiled at me again, taking one of the free strands of hair into her fingers to rub the follicles gently. Her eyes conveyed a question of whether or not I liked the look. I didn't know how to express my gratitude, so I moved forward and kissed her cheeks. When I pulled back, the naiad's cheeks had flushed dark blue, probably since that's how they blush. She smiled weakly at me, not having expected the kisses of thanks.

We sat quietly together, not speaking or doing anything, but holding hands and leaning against one another, watching the lake still before us.

When I move to wade out of the lake, the water spirit clutched my arm, ocean eyes wide and eyebrows scrunched tightly together. Her fingers had turned pale blue, almost white, where they dug into my skin. The girl shook harshly, as if shivering to keep herself warm during a storm. I swam closer and took her face into my hands, trying to determine what exactly was going through her mind. Her soft whimper signaled to me that she was scared. Maybe dejected.

Why? I didn't know. But the most likely answer was that she didn't want me to leave.

I lessened the distance and pulled her into a tight hug, stroking my fingers through her hair as she held onto me. With a soft smile, I pulled back and kissed her cheeks. "I'll come back soon. Don't miss me too much," I teased.

The naiad snorted and pushed at my face, smiling once again. We hugged one last time, and I hurried out of the water, drying off as quickly as I could so I could go to lunch without looking like an embarrassment.

I could feel her eyes on me even as I ran off. I had a feeling she was going to be a good friend in the years to come.

My clothes, however, weren't even my friends in the present. They were soaked entirely and probably wouldn't dry until the campfire tonight, which was going to be a pain in my ass.

Sighing, I made my way down to the pavilion looking like I just took a shower in my day clothes. Fun.

A few campers saw me and laughed, but I just bowed and said, "Thanks for coming to the show! You guys were great! Best standup experience ever!" They laughed again, bent over the waist. I grinned and hurried down to the Hermes table, giving and taking hugs where offered and requested. I plopped down beside Connor, giving him a high-five as I sat.

He smirked behind his chalice of Pineapple Fanta like a bastard because he is a beast unlike no other for even entertaining the possibility of enjoying that demonic poison. "Had a good day? That was quite a show you put on in the arena."

I grumbled. "Don't you fuckin' start. I got an earful from Will about how it wasn't just luck. People have been on my back all day. You push me, and I might turn into a convicted murderer by sunset."

Connor laughed and put his hands up. "Chill out, kid. It'll be fine. Camp's just had a weird few days since you showed up. Hard to deal with all that and still take care of a bunch of kids. You know how it is."

"Yeah, but…" I let out a long sigh. "I'm just sick of people pointing it out all the time. It just feels like people are telling me to get out even though I only got here a week or so ago."

He smiled. "You'll be fine, Anu. Just push on day by day. It's hard at first, but everything's a learning curve around here." Kind of suddenly, he changed the topic of interest. "Nico tells me you're getting pretty good in sword-fighting and stuff. Any secret for your exponential learning curve in that class? Not many people pick it up as fast as you did," he praised.

I grinned at that. "A student is only as good as their teacher. And Nico is a fantastic teacher." I yelped at the ruffle to my hair from above. My head leaned back as far as possible to get a look at my attacker, who turned out to be Nico di Angelo, smirking bigger than he should have been.

"Such kind words from my assistant. Tell me, what did I do to earn such praise?" he joked.

"You don't lose patience with me, you know exactly what you're doing and don't half-ass anything, and you let me pester you with questions," I fired back.

Nico paused at that, grinning. "I'll take what I can get." He patted my back and waved to Connor before strolling back to his table.

Connor grinned at me. "Is that hero-worship I see, or are you crushing on him?"

I squinted real hard, as if pretending to look for something on his face. Accordingly, the guy touched his cheeks and nose with a look of confusion sliding onto his face. "Bro, I'm looking, but I can't figure out where exactly I asked for your opinion," I deadpanned. He and a few of the others at the table who heard our exchange 'Ooooohhhh'd loudly, laughing at the burn.

I smirked at Connor's shocked but impressed expression. He then proceeded to high-five me again.

That day wasn't so bad, after all.


	6. A Prophecy on My First Day

Let me warn you that the only reason I'm even entertaining the idea of writing anything about my life is that I was forced to. The people I love basically shoved me into a room with this laptop that Leo finagled with, a few bottles of water, and some snacks and told me that unless I wrote at least one chapter, I wouldn't be allowed out. Sounds brutal, but they're brutal people. Even compared to a son of Ares like me, my idiotic sweethearts are the shittiest human beings alive. And yes, they know this. They accept the title with proud smiles.

Alright.

Let's just get to business so I can finish this shit and go do something worth my time.

My name is Tlatoany Castillo. I am a son of Ares, the Greek God of War. I was born to an Aztec mother who had to flee because of monster attacks in my hometown on the Western coast of Mexico. She escaped to a little town near the Navajo reservation in Arizona when she was pregnant with me. Growing up, I met a lot of young Native Americans and spent time with them, learning English and learning about American culture. My mother joined the armed forces after I was born because she qualified for citizenship and had to pay for me to live. She had no other skills or qualifications to get her a job in town. My Navajo neighbors were the ones that raised me. In particular, a former Marine lived in my and my mother's rented house and took care of me whenever Mom had to return to duty.

The old guy ruled with an iron fist and a cotton heart. He taught me more than I could ever thank him for. He gave me my morals, my knowledge, my skills. Franklin was his name. Even though I feared him at first, I eventually came to love the man like a dad. He loved me like a son, even though he never had a wife or children of his own. And even though we were of different cultures, he always made sure to teach me about my own people, my own home, and my own culture before anything else. He taught me to speak Nahuatl, which is the language of the Aztecs. I don't know how, but he spoke it fluently, along with Navajo. The man was my mother and father and friend and brother and uncle all in one.

Tetat, I called him. A diminutive form of the Nahuatl word 'tetatzin' or 'father'. He always shot me a smirk when I said that, nodding in approval but also rolling his eyes at the sentimentality.

But if I was scared, he never told me to just man up and stop crying like my mom's boyfriend did after getting to know ten-year-old me. Franklin let me be afraid and then, when I was ready, told me to be brave. He took his life lessons to me very seriously, never joking around or playing tricks on me or anything of the sort. Tetat ensured that every time I encountered any major issue or decision, I knew what to do and could handle it alone. He helped me if I asked, but never intruded on my life without permission.

In return, I helped him wherever and however I could. I defended his house from vandals and scared off any delinquent brats that tried to mess with the middle-aged man whose war injuries sometimes hindered his ability to function and to protect himself. He could drive, but heavy lifting and such proved to be very difficult considering his injuries all occurred in the arm. So, I was his guard dog of sorts, keeping ill-wishers away with nothing but a shovel and my own strength, which was pretty sizable for a little runt like me.

Of course, upon starting middle school, I got bigger and bigger, eventually beginning to tower over my classmates in freshman year of high school. With that came increased strength and endurance. I joined the junior varsity wrestling team in my first year of high school, but Tetat trained me as if I were joining varsity.

However, my discovery of the Greek world was a bit of an overwhelming event for me.

Tetat explained the entire Greek existence to me after a Cyclops attacked me at school.

* * *

My friends and I fooled around on the playground a lot. It was always the six of us, five boys and one girl. Myself, Ronald, David, Henry, Jimmy, and Caitlyn. We had so many games. Most of the time, they suggested games involving fighting or wars. I didn't like the games too much, considering all the lessons Tetat gave me about treating everyone kindly and not starting fights unnecessarily. But whenever we had fighting games, I usually won. Sometimes I didn't, but that was only because I was sick.

We were playing one day near the edge of the playground, next to the fence that separates the school grounds from the outside world. We decided to play a little card game one of the girls in our class taught us. The girl in my fifth-grade science class was pretty damn funny and cool, we thought. I had just won the fifth round when we noticed something peculiar about the trees and shrubs near the fence.

Normally, the sun peeked through the leaves of the trees and made little spots of light on the ground. No matter what I was doing, I always took notice of that. My ADHD wasn't too severe, so I could always remember to make sure that I saw the spots of light.

That day, I didn't see the spots. My friends only noticed that when I pointed it out. We collectively squinted at the trees, finally spotting the dark shape blocking the light and almost alerted the entire school to the creature we saw. We scrambled backward, trying to get away from the being staring down menacingly at us.

Innocent kids we were, we had no idea what to do and didn't think to tell any teacher in our sheer terror.

The giant man in the huge black coat and top hat somehow crossed the entire fence, either stepping over it entirely or walking through it. His coat was so long, I remembered, I couldn't even see his shoes. The man glowered down at me and sneered with a terrible smile full of jagged razor teeth of the most disturbing yellow.

He walked forward slowly, and we could only think to run. To our displeasure, we realized that we were basically alone on the playground. We didn't hear the teacher call for us. When we looked around, we saw that the rest of our class was just filing into the school once again.

Our hearts dropped into our feet.

The school, which was known for the attacks made by gang members from neighboring cities, had strict policy and practice of always closing and locking its doors after any class went outside for any period of time.

The seriousness of the situation hit us like a truck.

We were stuck outside with no way back inside and no way to get away from the giant man who could probably run a million times faster than us.

I looked at my friends, and the six of us shared this deep gut feeling of, "We're definitely fucked, but we have to try and survive. What else can we do?"

Eventually, the giant man had caught up to us and stood right in front of us, staring down at me. I steeled myself, recalling everything Tetat taught me about not fearing anyone no matter who the person was. The other five kids joined me in my glaring, our eyes staring the giant man right in his eyes. I frowned when I saw his face shimmer a little with weird light, as if his face was covered in some kind of sparkly, liquid veil.

What I thought were a pair of weird blue eyes the color of dirty blue suede turned out to be a singular blue eye in the center of a forehead more wrinkled than a sphinx cat's face.

He smirked with that chapped, dirty mouth and kneeled down. He sneered. "Little boys shouldn't give looks like that to their elders. I know you know to respect people bigger than you, child. Why aren't you running away?"

I crossed my arms and grunted. "My _tetatzin_ taught me to not be afraid of anyone, especially adult strangers like you. You don't need to be afraid of anyone you can make bleed. I'm not scared of you because you're no better or worse than anyone else. You're just a big dumb guy who doesn't know not to enter school property without the school's permission."

While I was spewing my bullshit, I failed to notice that the man's face had contorted into an angry grimace, blue eye narrowed with rage.

He growled, a sound that vibrated even in my bones.

An icy feeling blanketed my body, and my courage rushed out of me as quickly as it came. However, seeing my friends' confident looks gave me a bit of courage back, and I pulled my leg back and kicked the man in the leg with all of my strength. And judging from his pained expression and yell of wrath, it was a damn good kick.

My friends and I sprinted out of there, only for the man to follow with thundering footsteps and snarls of anger.

We knew our school grounds better than he did, so we took our turns and twists as a group, figuring we had better chances of surviving together than apart, where he could pick us off the face of the earth like ants.

He got lost once or twice but caught up to us quickly. Eventually, we reached a dead end, one of the odd alleys of the school, which the builders didn't think a bad idea to have in a place with little kids and big kids mixed together. He cornered me and my friends into that little alley and roared at us, clenching and unclenching his baseball mitt hands.

"I'm going to squeeze the life out of you, son of war. I promise, I will make sure your father can see this from his perch up in the skies," he hissed. I didn't know what to do except stare.

Not only did none of his words make any sense, but also I didn't really care. I focused more on the fact that simply one of his hands could wrap around my throat with ease. My friends I looked at one another, and another silent communication spread throughout the group. We had no idea how to fight bad guys beyond the situations we made up in our games. But that was enough, we felt.

We were right.

Because the guy didn't expect me to start mouthing off and calling him names to get him angry so he would focus on me instead of my friends, who carefully tread in two directions to circle the giant man.

"So I heard that people who are the biggest and strongest aren't always the smartest. Are you the exception or the poster boy?" I was shocked at how good the burns were.

The giant man snarled. "Shut up!"

I smirked. Seeing him riled up made me happy. "It doesn't take much to see you're all brawn and no brain, but even to have brawn, you need a brain, so I guess you've got neither of those."

He roared at me again, and I looked at my friends, who then glanced at one another. Each of us grabbed an item off the floor, something that we figured would damage the giant man one way or another. My friend Jimmy found a long metal rod. Our only female friend Caitlyn braced a massive tree branch in front of her. I scanned the floor around me, and by some kind of luck, found a rusted and worn knife on the ground, the kind with the fancy handle and pretty writing on the blade. I wondered why there was a random antique knife on school property, but I didn't question it.

I wanted to live more than I cared about how. Each of us held up our respective weapons and lunged at him at the same time, figuring he couldn't hold all of us off. We were kids, but we were still pretty heavy.

He shook off each of us one by one, tossing my friends into the walls of the alley like rag dolls. By some divine grace, he couldn't shake me off no matter how hard he waved his arms or tried to pull me away. I'd grabbed onto him by the back of his leg, sitting on his foot with both arms curled tightly around his massive lower leg. I pulled the knife up as high as I could and stabbed it right into his calf muscle, which sat right below my clenched hand.

My friends and I screamed when the man yelled and then burst into a puff of golden dust. We ran off, crying uncontrollably and banging on the doors of the school building to make someone notice and let us in.

We tried to pass through the day and not freak out, but it was too hard for us. That event scarred us more than we could ever imagine.

People noticed how oddly we behaved during the rest of that day. Our teachers constantly shot us hesitant looks of concern, as if worried we would attack them upon hearing their questions. Our classmates sat further away from us, startled by our fear-worn and hyper-alert expressions. Even the cleaning lady avoided us when we walked down the hall after school ended.

We kept close to one another out of fear, deciding to walk home together rather than alone. We couldn't stay apart after what we just witnessed.

We walked to my house, even though they all lived at least a ten minute stroll away from me. Tetat frowned deeply at our faces and behavior after letting us in.

He was used to my friends popping in unexpectedly, with or without their parents' prior permission. We would scurry up to my room to play games or hang out and watch a movie on the TV in my mom's room. Tetat would walk up to where we hung out with plates of snacks and healthy drinks. He would disapprove of how quickly we ate since he knew we didn't eat well at school, but he always had my friends stay over until after dinner and then would call their parents to pick them up.

We always bounded in like little kangaroos, babbling about one thing or another and thinking of new games to play.

This day was different.

Tetat watched as the six of us settled into the couches in the living room and watched the floor aimlessly. He closed and locked the door behind him before slowly approaching us, sitting on the wooden chair he always pulled up for himself. We jumped at his every movement.

He sighed and moved closer, looking at me with those deep, dark eyes. He held his hands out, and I carefully, trembling, laid mine in them. He spoke with a terribly soft tone. "Tato, my boy. What happened to you kids?"

I let out a loud sob and launched myself into his arms. Tetat always gave me pats on the head or back or cheek if I did well on a task or in school. Rarely did we hug.

But I needed that moment. I needed him to hug me and reassure me that all would be well. And he did. Tetat delivered, pulling me into his arms after kneeling on the ground. He cradled me tightly, stroking my hair and kissing my forehead. He held me until I stopped shaking. And then my friends jumped into the hug as well, and he did his best to calm them as well.

Once we had let out our tears and pain and fear, he got us tucked into my mom's bed with mugs of hot chocolate and his comforting cinnamon French toast sticks with little cups of maple syrup.

He asked us nothing but this before listening intently to our entire story: "What hurt you?"

Tetat put his face in his hands, strong shoulders quaking. My heart pounded. Never once did I see my father figure frightened like this. He breathed shakily before sitting up straight and looking intently at me and my friends. He told me to go wait outside and come back in when he gave the word.

I climbed out of the bed, carefully gripping onto my mug. He smiled gently and pecked my temple just before I stepped into the hallway. The door closed with a little click behind me, and I sighed. Tetat began speaking softly, explaining to them what had happened at school in a way they could understand. My friends asked a few questions, but I could hear the confidence in my pseudo-dad's voice when he replied to them.

I was allowed back in maybe ten minutes later, to find my friends extensively more calm and reassured. I looked at Tetat, who kissed my temple again and whispered a promise that he would tell me everything about what I experienced after he sent my friends home in an hour. He said they would need their parents' comfort and couldn't stay all day.

My friends waited a little over an hour before heading back to their homes. Tetat sat down and took each of the other kids' parents' numbers and wrote them all in his little notebook of contact information of every parent and responsible adult he ever met. He had to keep a constant eye on me, he replied when I asked him why he took everyone's contact after meeting people for the first time.

I was never a handful, but I was still a kid.

The other parents showed up in less than five minutes to pick my friends up. My friends and I hugged one another and promised to hang out the next day at school and have a playdate over the weekend.

Once they left, Tetat cuddled with me in the giant couch and explained everything to me. I felt more sad and surprised than anything else.

"You're not like most children, Tlatoany. Kid, your dad isn't like most dads, either. Your dad is someone very special and powerful and influential." He smiled gently, scraping his fingers through my uncut hair while I leaned into his side. "Your dad is a Greek God. You know Hercules? Poseidon? All those big names you hear in English class during the mythology unit?"

I nodded slowly, trying to wrap my young mind around the concept of being weirder than I thought I was.

I never felt weird. Not in my school. It was mostly Native American kids from the towns on our side of the reservation border, a fair amount of Latino or Hispanic kids, a couple of African American kids, and a sizable number of white kids. It was a good mix. Immigrant kids like me were very common. Indian kids (from the actual country) were pretty rare, but not extremely so.

Even my interests, from sports to music to science, weren't odd. I didn't share all those interests with my friends, but we appreciated one another enough to dabble in each other's interests. The only part of me I thought was weird happened to be my accent, and even that was slowly fading as I spent more time in school.

Tetat rubbed my back. "I know it sounds weird and hard to understand, but your dad is a god, kiddo. He couldn't stay with you and your mom because monsters would have come to hurt you both because they hate him. You experienced that today. The giant man you kids saw? That was a cyclops, a being with only one eye that can never be hurt by fire. Some are good and some are bad. Some work in the forges of Poseidon, who's the god of the sea. This cyclops wanted to hurt you. Your dad probably magically gave you that knife because he wanted to help you survive. That's good, though, kiddo. It means your dad knows who you are. Soon, you can go to a summer camp for kids like you, who also have a god for a parent."

I bit my lip and looked up at Tetat. "You're my dad too, though. Does that mean I can't call you dad anymore? I don't wanna meet my other dad if I can't call you my dad. That's not fair to you. I don't like when things aren't fair."

I can never forget the look in Tetat's eyes when I said that to him. Awe, pain, heartache, love, joy, pride, glee, warmth, sunshine, gloom. They all mixed together and made his eyes almost glow. He grinned and kissed all over my face. He made me giggle from affection for hours. He spoke gently, cradling me in his arms as if I were still a wee baby. The warmth in his voice turned my heart to goo. "No matter what anyone says, Tlatoany, you are always my boy, my son, first and foremost. The gods be damned, you're my kid, okay?" My smiles lasted even through the next morning.

I thought the godly stuff was okay. It was cool. What was even cooler was that I could go to a camp and meet other people like me. It made me sad that I couldn't tell any of this stuff to my friends, but I figured that it would probably scare them, so I wouldn't have told them whether or not Tetat warned me against it.

But really, the next day felt amazing. I told my friends Tetat explained it all to me after they left, and the previous day's event never bothered us ever again.

By the gods' grace, I never dealt with another monster ever again until the day turned eleven.

* * *

My eleventh birthday really rocked. And not just because there were no monster attacks.

All of my friends (and I do mean all of them) showed up with their parents and siblings. For a kid who grew up without any other family except his stand-in dad but wanting more relatives, having this many people over felt like a dream. I cried half the time and laughed half the time.

A flurry of games, cake, dinner food, birthday wishes, colors, friendship, laughter, joy, smiles, and overall exhilaration filled the night. I never was more happy than that evening.

The happiness dimmed when, after the guests departed from the event to return home for some rest, a monster attacked. A giant black demon dog of some sort lunged and roared at me as I picked up the trash off of the grass of Tetat's quaint backyard. Tetat shouted back at the creature, grabbing something from his pocket and clicking some button. The item he held turned into a giant sword of a glowing gold-ish metal. I later realized the metal was actually bronze.

Tetat yelled and leapt at the creature, narrowly avoiding its claws and incisor-filled drooling mouth. He eventually found an opening while he danced around it to avoid getting scratched and stabbed it through its side. Like the giant man from the previous year, the demon dog burst into golden dust.

He looked at me forlornly, moving forward to hug me tightly and press my face to his chest. He knelt down and gazed deeply into my eyes, the golden brown of his eyes alight with a painful determination.

I only had two months before school ended. He spoke gently. "Kid, we gotta go. Now. If these things are coming right onto my property, which is supposed to be guarded from them, it means you're something critical. Powerful. Something worth hurting. We have to get you to camp, Tlatoany. I'll deal with your school. I've got a lot of experience on that end. But I care more about your safety than about anything else in my life, little guy."

I asked only three questions. "Are you like me? Who's your parent? How long should I pack for?"

He grinned grimly. "I am like you. My parent is Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. Pack for six months." With one last hug, I rushed away to pack my clothes and beloved belongings while Tetat cleaned the house at an incredible speed. By the time I'd scampered out of my room with my backpack and suitcase full of my clothes, toiletries, entertainment items, and my favorite trinkets, the entire one-story house gleamed from how perfectly it was cleaned.

Tetat crowded me into the car with any and all of my possessions and bags, dropping them beside me in the back seat. He locked the house and hopped into the driver's seat and sped away, mumbling something like a prayer under his breath. At first, I thought it was Navajo, but the words sounded more European, more similar to English.

Later, when I asked him what he mumbled, Tetat replied that he was praying in Ancient Greek to his mother Athena, pleading with her to get us safe passage to the camp.

I felt too afraid to ask any more questions. I peeked through the dirt-smeared windows of the car, worn from years of the storms, snow, and simmering heat of Arizona. My eyes spotted a flash of golden, sinister eyes glowering at me through the dark woods surrounding our little community. Tetat drove even faster, the rear view mirror revealing the tears rising in his usually dauntless eyes, lips praying even more fervently.

My little hand gripped onto my backpack's straps tightly, my hair barely held back by the blue little hair tie gathering it all together. My friends often mocked me for wearing a ponytail like a girl, but Tetat told me to ignore them. That my hair was my pride and remembrance of my people and the way they lived.

My shoes felt too tight. My shirt felt too sticky from sweat. My jacket and jeans fit too loosely. I felt completely out of sorts.

But Tetat ignored all the weird signs of danger and death revealed by the headlights' glow on the forest and kept driving. He growled and rubbed at his face, looking up at the ceiling of the car for a few moments before returning his gaze to the road.

Tetat didn't stop at all, unless for food, gas, or bathroom breaks. He didn't stop, no matter how tired he was. He popped a few caffeine pills, and once those ran out, he chugged a few cups of pure black coffee, to his great distaste. He always preferred some sweet with the bitter, believing the same about everything else. Too much bitter may help, but it's painful and gross. Throw in a little sugar, and things are more bearable.

We finally stopped when reaching an empty strawberry field. Tetat stopped and just sat in the driver's seat, speaking to me in this incredibly soft tone I never thought I would hear from my father of stone and steel. He smiled and stepped out of the car, opening my door and pulling me into a tight hug.

Unsure of the entire situation, I shied away from his touch, but he smiled, placing a gentle hand on my cheek. He kissed my forehead. "You did well, little warrior. You did so well. I'm so proud of you." He gave me that crooked smirk again, and I sobbed, lunging into his arms helplessly. He cooed and held me again, rocking us back and forth until I had quieted again. "Tlatoany, my dear boy, we've come home. I know home to you is Arizona. Our little place. Surrounded by your mom's trinkets and travel souvenirs. But this was my first home. Don't worry about the future. I'm with you until the end, okay?" Tetat looked deep into my eyes, and for the first time, I noticed the graceful speckles of gray hinting in his eyes, the wisdom and knowledge of centuries streaking lines into his cheeks and forehead, an eternity of pain and fear seeping through the crow's feet of his eyes.

I nodded, squeezing his hand as I got to my feet. We collected my bags and stepped forward. Tetat rested his hand on something invisible, like a glass window that couldn't be seen. He walked forward while pulling me along behind him.

This camp wasn't just a camp. It looked like a training area for the military, but in a less structured way. Clearly Grecian in its inspiration, the whole place seemed like it was meant for kings to come visit to do some fancy ancient workouts. I clutched onto Tetat's hand and let him guide me down towards a giant blue building, on the porch of which two men played a card game. I felt pretty intimidated.

The recent monster attack had kind of taken down any last fears I had. I wasn't scared of this camp. I was scared of being without my dad in this strange new place.

One of the men, a bearded middle-aged guy with a kind, comforting smile and a mischievous glint in his eye that looked like it didn't belong there turned to us, eyes brightening and smile widening upon seeing Tetat. He stood up from his blanket-covered wheelchair, revealing that his bottom half consisted of a white horse rather than a human body.

The horse-man trotted forward and grasped Tetat tightly by the shoulders. "_Di immortales!_ Franklin?! Is that really you, my boy?"

Tetat smirked that smirk. "Who else would have a kid at only thirty years old, Chiron?" The horse-man laughed at that, and the two hugged, Tetat also laughing now. "It's good to see you, sir," admitted my father-figure.

"I am quite glad to see you too, dear boy. I presume you've brought to me another future trainee?" Chiron asked with a wink, chuckling when Tetat nodded. The horse-man smiled and bent down to look me in the eye. "Hello, child. I am Chiron. I know Franklin here told you some things about the world of the Greek Gods and that you're part of it, yes?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice to work in the presence of such a weird person-thing.

He smiled again. "You're nervous. No need to be. I can tell your father raised you quite well, dear boy. Franklin is a good man, just as his father, and his father's father. I trained Franklin from the age of twelve until twenty. Such a talented, intelligent, noble-hearted man. I can see he's instilled those same values and skills in you." He beamed, ruffling my hair and chuckling when I pouted. "Want to take a little test and see how many of his lessons you've truly mastered?"

That caught my attention. One of my favorite activities was pushing the limits of what I was allowed to do and what I could do. I would challenge teachers and Tetat himself in trying to avoid doing certain tasks and would only step back if I was punished or if I didn't like where one test was headed. Other times, I would play games and fight so long that my muscles would scream by the end of the day, or I would run until I couldn't even figure out where I was and had to mentally recreate my path to return home.

Based on all that, the prospect of testing out how good of a person Tetat had made me into, that seemed super fun and interesting. I looked up at Tetat, hoping he would agree to let me go with Chiron and see exactly what the test was. He nodded and smiled, taking my bags into his arms and hanging my backpack over his shoulder. He bent down and kissed my forehead, ruffling my hair.

"Have fun, be good, be safe, yeah?" He sent me off with his smirk and a wave, and I let Chiron take my hand and bring me to a massive arena, like the ones the Romans put lions in.

The horse-man clapped his hands, catching the attention of the other giants around him. They seemed like giants to me because I was still a kid just starting middle school. They were older than me, that's all. They all came together to encircle the old teacher and me. Chiron grinned. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Tlatoany. He came in today with Franklin, a son of Athena who is one of Camp Half-Blood's eldest alumni. Young Mr. Tlatoany here wants to determine just how much Franklin has taught him about being a half-blood without using the actual Greek terms. Would anyone care to question his knowledge?"

A few of the kids, all of whom wore heavy-looking golden chest plates, arm and leg guards, and helmets, raised their hands and had me sit down on one of the benches of the arena while they rattled off questions to me.

Some questions regarded the theme of practicality in a physical fight, like this: "You have to fight someone twice your height, but the same amount of strength. Would it be better to use a short-range weapon like a knife or attack from afar with a javelin or spear?" I answered that it would depend on the other person's strengths and weaknesses. If their strengths lay in speed and agility, it would be better to use a short-range weapon because trying to use something long-range would let them get away.

Other questions aimed to pull out of me my decision-making skills. "A woman has just beaten the living crap out of your best friend, who's also a girl and needs you to translate things back and forth in Spanish because she can't speak English fluently. Your best friend needs medical care immediately, but the woman is attacking others now and won't stop. You can only do one of two things: save your friend or fight the woman. What do you do?" I didn't take too long to think, usually. My reply to that question was that I would first call nine-one-one and inform them that a girl just got beaten viciously but needs a Spanish-English interpreter in the ambulance and at the hospital, and then I would reply in the same breath that the attacker is still in the vicinity and harming others. As soon as the operator tells me I can hang up the phone, I would try and restrain the lunatic woman, only hitting her to make her stop hurting others.

Other times, the questions asked about my morals and ethics. "Is it okay to lie to someone whose decision regarding that answer may alter the life and dignity of an innocent person, just so you can save another innocent's skin?" These questions were hard as hell, and pretty stupid to ask an eleven-year-old, but this was a test, so I got over it quickly. I don't remember that answer, actually. I do remember everyone being impressed, though. So that was nice.

Chiron quickly took me back to the big blue building, where Tetat was sitting with some fat guy in an ugly cheetah-print shirt. The fat guy was pretty ugly, in my opinion. Dark, almost purple or wine-red hair, red eyes and nose indicative of a drinking problem, and a face like a pumice stone: flat, porous to a disgusting degree, rough. Sounds mean, but he was meaner. "New meat, eh, Chiron? Who's this little wannabe grown-up?"

I grunted. I could deal with stupidity. But blatant disrespect was not tolerated in my home, not towards anyone. And here this man was, making fun of me, being rude for no reason whatsoever. To my horror, Tetat snickered at the little tease. _Snickered_. I'd never felt so betrayed in my life. He laughed broadly at my expression, ruffling my hair.

He explained softly, keeping me in front of him with both hands hunkered down on my shoulders. "Calm yourself, kid. Mr. D is always like that. If you're gonna be here, you'd best get used to it quickly. Unbelievable though it may seem, this man is the god Dionysus, the winemaker and wine master of Olympus. He's here as punishment for going after a pretty girl that he shouldn't have gone after. But he can turn you into a dolphin, or even a grapevine. Respect him, you hear?" I pouted, unhappy about the entire situation, but unable to do much else than agree reluctantly.

Tetat smiled warmly, hugging me from behind. "Good kid. Now, I've got all your stuff set up in the Hermes Cabin, which is also Cabin Eleven. You have your own bed and stuff since most of the place got cleared up after the recent demigod wars and claiming deal. Claiming is when your godly parent says, 'Oh, look! That's my kid!' Then, you move into that cabin. Happened to me long ago." I nodded again.

"What happens when you're claimed?"

"The symbol of your parent shows up over your head. For me, it was a gray owl holding olive branches. For a child of Hermes, it'll be the caduceus, which is the main weapon and symbol of Lord Hermes," he dictated in a distant tone, as if reminiscing about the times long since passed. He ruffled my hair again and smiled weakly, his whole body seeming to bend to the wind that brushed along our cheeks mercilessly. "I don't know who your godly parent is, but let's hope they claim you soon. Unclaimed demigods have a much harder time finding themselves here than claimed demigods. Knowing your parentage and history will help you determine your true identity."

Chiron chuckled and patted his back. "Relax, Franklin. I'm sure Tlatoany will be fine. Now. Do you plan on leaving soon, or will you stay a few days? I'm sure your siblings from Cabin Six would want to see you," he suggested, dark eyes conveying a hopefulness that Tetat would stay a little while.

I beamed when he nodded, smirking. "I couldn't just leave my kid here without another word. How bad of a person would I have to be to even think of doing that? And yeah." His grin melted into something softer. "It'd be good to see the others again. It's been so long since I left this world, until Tlatoany brought me back. It's good to be home, Chiron."

The older man grinned and nodded. "Indeed, it is."

The rest of the day was a blur, really. I remember some weird activities and fun games with Tetat's family, but nothing too weird. It felt normal because I had Tetat's guiding hand and gentle gaze on me almost at all times. It was comforting, really, and I was able to quickly get accustomed to the culture and flow of a day at this crazy camp.

At the end of the day, I slept in a bed in the Hermes cabin while Tetat slept in the Big House, which was the blue building where Tetat, Chiron, and I spoke.

The morning was fun. I'd already made four friends in the Hermes cabin and three friends in the Athena cabin. I felt so happy to meet so many cool, fun, and smart people. My friends back at home would always be a part of my life and heart, but these guys were so new and interesting. I was fascinated always.

And then some weird shit happened.

Tetat and I walked up to the border of Camp Half-Blood, towards Half-Blood Hill, where a tall pine tree carried a fuzzy golden doormat on the lowest branch. Next to the tree was a dragon! I was ecstatic. My childhood's best stories and legends came to life! But while walking up the steep, grass-laden slope, we saw a girl slowly make her way out of a cave on the side of the hill.

"That's Rachel Dare. She's the newest Oracle, who's the girl that contains the spirit of the first Oracle of Delphi. The Oracle is a woman who channels the prophecies and future-telling of Apollo, god of the Sun, music, archery, prophecies, and many more. I don't know why she's walking and acting like that. Come on, let's go talk to her," Tetat rushed out quickly in whispers.

He pulled me along to speak to the redhead with the super beautiful green eyes. The girl wore a simple white T-shirt with some kind of band logo on it. I almost didn't realize she was wearing jeans from the amount of dried paint caked on them. Her sneakers seemed very clean and well-cared for, though.

Her posture startled me. Droopy, half-alive, like a zombie. She walked like she'd been walking a million miles and couldn't feel her own body anymore. Her face was slack, until her eyes began to glow green. Smoke of the same sickly shade of green erupted from her mouth. "Rachel!" Tetat jumped back and watched in shock at the young girl's sudden straightening of her back and rigid behavior.

She spoke.

"_A life for a living gem, the deal is made. _

_From truth, rotten sun and speedy word have strayed. _

_The War of Lips shall be caught in game,_

_For Silent Vengeance, the War shall win the same."_

The girl collapsed. Tetat stared on in horror before telling me to run back to camp and find Chiron as soon as possible. Afraid of the blatant terror paling his face, I sprinted down the side of the hill, screaming for my dad's former teacher to "HELP US! RACHEL FELL DOWN! HELP!"

Chiron grabbed me up into his arms while galloping by, carrying me on his back. "What happened, child?!"

I sobbed. "Rachel came out of her cave looking funny. She looked sick, like she was gonna die. Smoke came out of her mouth! And then she said a little poem and fainted! Tetat is with her!" I blubbered through my tears. Chiron consoled me as best as he could, sighing in relief upon seeing Rachel leaning against the mouth of the cave, Tetat gently brushing her hair back and comforting her afterwards.

Chiron had me rejoin the Hermes kids once he and the other two adults had spoken in depth. I sat and listened, unwilling to leave Tetat's side until I was sure that all was well. I needed the reassurance.

* * *

That prophecy, which I thought a silly, creepy poem back then, stuck with me for years. I never forgot it. Even three years after the event, I could hear the echoes of those words everywhere I went. It was like a curse. I didn't know what any of the prophecy meant. The only thing I knew was that the prophecy had something to do with me. There was no way it didn't. Because the 'War of Lips'? That's me. Lips is the Greek God of the Southwestern winds. I'm from the Southwest, both in Mexico and in the US. And war? Well, I am the son of Ares.

Speaking of being a son of Ares, my claiming pretty much sucked. It was entirely humiliating.

Long story short, I had just walked into the pavilion for lunch at age twelve. Some guy rammed into me by accident, and I took a shower in mashed potatoes, gravy, and chocolate milk, among other items. Out of nowhere, a red glow emits from above my head, and I peek up to see the head of a boar backed by two crossed spears. The people at the red table — the giant, bulky, dumb kids — started slamming their hands on the hardwood surface of their eating place.

Chiron stood and announced loudly, smiling in sympathy, "All hail Tlatoany Castillo, son of Ares!" Everyone stood and bowed, but one had to be a fool to not notice the snickers everyone hid behind their hands and the mutters ringing in the silence.

I joined the Ares table, disgraced and disappointed about what had just happened. One guy, this giant Asian teen with hands big enough to wrap around both my legs with room left, smiled more gently. "Change of clothes?" I nodded at the question, too embarrassed to speak. "Come with me." I stood and followed him all the way to the disturbingly red Ares cabin. "We get those all the time. Kids dirty and embarrassed after a claiming. New clothes should feel like a fresh start." He tossed them at a bed and grinned. "See you back at dinner, little brother."

And there, I had my first supportive companion. Sherman really was always there for me, no matter what I did or what happened to me. I never accepted his help after our fight about my training and how I should handle things, but recently, he and I have gotten closer. Thank goodness for that. When your main skills have to do with fighting, you need as many allies as you can get.

* * *

Let's start at the same place Anusha and Reginald began. The first day of summer of our freshman year.

I came home practically bouncing in my shoes out of sheer excitement. Camp Half-Blood was the only place I truly felt at home. They knew about my ADHD and taught me things I truly did enjoy and helped me maintain my physical ability, which mattered greatly to me. And, Camp Half-Blood is where most of my friends are. Of course, I had my close friends from elementary school, but no one else.

Tetat threw the door open, his face split in a too-bright smirk. "I see you're ecstatic. Go pack. I cleaned the house an hour ago."

I cheered and ran inside. Most people will never see that kind of joy and expressiveness come from me. Tetat is an exception, that too only because he's my dad. Of course, there will be more exceptions as time goes on.

When passing the little decorative table leaning against the wall perpendicular to the front door, I stopped and turned around, grinning at Tetat. "Airport, right? The one in Phoenix? On the way, can we maybe stop at that little Chinese restaurant on the highway?" Rolling his eyes, the man of only thirty years nodded his head. I continued walking a few more steps before stopping and looking back at him again. "And get some smoothies at Kevin's mom's store?"

He laughed. "Trying to milk me for all I'm worth before you're in camp all summer, huh?"

"Mm, not really. Just trying to get you to spoil me before I have to be a responsible teenager with actual things to do," I admitted. Tetat laughed as he shut and locked the door behind him.

"Fine. Chinese and smoothies for lunch. Hast thou other odd requests, Your Highness?" he teased, bowing with a hand over his heart.

"Oh, shut up." Laughing, I scurried up to my room to start packing. Didn't take too long, but it was a lot of work. I tended to pack half of my belongings when I go anywhere. I'm always worried about being underprepared for a trip or forgetting something, so I shoved everything in my suitcase. That is, after my backpack itself was entirely stuffed with some belongings since I cleared it of all the school supplies and textbooks.

Tetat waited for me on the couch, flipping through his favorite book while sipping on some tea. I was always more of a coffee person, but Tetat never liked it. What a tragedy. Still, the man slept like an ox. Immovable.

His tough, expensive suitcase waited beside him, the silver-colored hard plastic shell reflecting the light slipping through the blinds of the windows.

He glanced up at me when I slowly toddled down the stairs, suitcase in hand with my backpack hanging off my back. "Ready to go? Do you have everything?" I nodded in response, eager to get on the road. Tetat smiled and stood, stretching his arms. He set his book inside his backpack and zipped the whole thing closed.

Out of his need for everything to be perfect before and after a vacation, he quickly washed the mug after finishing the tea and dried it off before setting it in the appropriate cupboard.

I never understood that particular habit of his until I started living with the two messiest human beings on the planet. That extreme cleaning and organization is my saving grace these days.

We sprinted out of the house and climbed into the car. I jumped into the passenger seat (the back never had enough leg room for me) after tossing my bags in the backseat. Tetat sat down quickly and started the car, humming softly as he initiated the drive down to the Phoenix Airport.

The past year had been fantastic. For me, it was any other year. Nothing had changed beyond my entrance into high school. For Tetat, however, life was new.

January of last year, he was hired as the head of security for a new hiring company in the next town. The whole operation started pretty small, but now had over a thousand employees. Not to mention, the company was now in the headlines of almost every major news media outlet for its championing of improved rights and higher standard of living for native communities all over the Southwestern USA. They'd opened several branches in most of the states of the Southwest, from Colorado to Southern California.

Tetat, who had raised me on less than thirty thousand dollars a year was now being paid more than triple his former salary. His life was basically perfect.

The owner of the business itself had hired him, having learned of him through other natives in our town. (Tetat was something of a forerunner in the movement for Native American rights. If anyone had any questions or needed any help, he was the one to go to.) Not to mention, his military background and Navajo heritage made him an attractive candidate for the position of head of security.

In fact, the woman who hired him liked him so much that she gave him pre-paid air fares to anywhere in the country, any time of year, round trip. He never learned her name, even though she was the owner. But he knew she was French and very kind.

I was so proud of him. A man who went from having nothing to his name but his culture and the clothes on his back now had a wonderful apartment in the suburbs, with a used car of spectacular condition and a great-paying job in the next town over. But even with all of that, he never lost his humility and humbleness. He always spoke to everyone with such perfect manners and respect, and he still worked his ass off to help his people in whatever way he could. He was my hero. He still is my hero.

The drive was tedious. Not because I did anything, but because I didn't do anything. Not doing anything makes me restless and annoyed. I didn't get cranky, but Tetat let me make some random things with his old newspapers to keep me occupied.

This is probably where Anusha and Reginald might start describing the drive and the things they saw. I think that's boring, so let's move onto when we actually reached New York.

(Don't judge me, but I don't give a damn about what color the trees were or what season it is. I wish those two would just tell me what happened and move on. They're so descriptive for no reason. But this might be my last chapter, because I know those two will murder me after reading the rest of this, so I hope you all enjoy what's in the remainder of the story.)

Tetat got out of the car in Manhattan, saying he wanted to visit his boyfriend first before coming to camp. I didn't care much about meeting the guy that might take my dad from me, so I headed down to Camp Half-Blood without him, telling the cab driver to stop in Montauk. I walked the rest of the way, pulling my suitcase behind me as I trekked to Half-Blood Hill. I was greeted by Chiron, who'd been watching the valley below peacefully, a content smile lacing his lips. "Good day, Tlatoany. How are you?"

I beamed before bowing my head. "I'm well, sir. How are you?"

"Well. A bit concerned about one of the first-time campers, but that's nothing new. Where is your father?" he wondered.

Eyes rolling, I explained. "Tetat wanted to go hang out with his boyfriend. I don't have any desire to meet that guy, so I left without him. He can find his way here."

Chiron laughed, nodding his head. "That man must be a keeper if Franklin is letting you leave without him."

"Tell me about it. He talks about that dude like he put the sun in the sky. It's sickeningly sweet," I grumbled. Chiron merely laughed again, walking with me to the Ares cabin so I could settle in for the summer.

"It's young love, Tlatoany. Let your father enjoy his romance. Demigods rarely get the chance to have some peace and love in their lives," he consoled. I tried to hold onto my grudge, but Chiron had a point. When our lives are cut so short simply because of our parentage, the best thing we can do is attempt to live normally and retain hope for the future. It's not easy being the child of a god, so our best bet is to keep moving and be kind.

What a Cinderella-esque lesson.

And shut up, okay? That was one of my favorite movies as a kid. That and Pocahontas. Not because it was historically accurate in any way or correctly represented Native Americans, but because it displayed a girl going against what society told her to do and instead living the life she wanted to live, all the while bringing peace in a time of war.

Cinderella is great because it's a simple love story.

Pocahontas is great because it made me feel safe and at home.

Pocahontas' story is just like my mom's. Breaking expectations unfit for her life to instead live the way she wanted to, and finding happiness in another world similar enough to her own to feel at home…

But enough of that.

The moment I knocked on the door of Cabin Five, I yelped and jumped back because it revealed two of my giant siblings having a huge argument right at the entrance to the cabin.

"SHIT! Can you idiots calm down and please tell me what happened?!" I shouted, hoping they could hear me over their stupidity. Thankfully, they did!

Ellis grunted and scowled at Arthur. "This jackass put a crack in my shield. I already paid a bunch to get the thing fixed, and then this idiot comes around swinging his sword and puts a cut in it!"

My other brother sneered at him. "Not my fault you chose that old piece of junk."

"EY! BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP." I looked up at Chiron, who was having trouble holding back his laughter. "I can handle this, sir. I'll meet you in an hour." Nodding, the centaur galloped away, waving to a few other campers on his journey back to the Big House.

I returned my gaze to my brothers, who remained glaring harshly at one another. "Both of you are idiots. Arthur, what kind of dumbass uses a sword inside the cabin?! Apologize. Ellis, it's a shield. Camp has plenty of shields. Don't be whiny because it has a crack. If he broke it, that would be different. Shields crack, and swords get dull. What do we do? Repair them. Get over it and grow up. For fuck's sake." I hissed and pushed past them into the cabin, throwing my backpack on my bed and setting my suitcase under it.

Bottom bunk was a great decision.

As soon as I felt like I was ready to leave, _I left_.

I ran all the way back to the Big House and into Chiron's office, where he and Mr. D sat on opposite sides of the table, playing some kind of card game.

"Mr. Claymore, have you brought your father with you? That Franklin is far more bearable than you children." I rolled my eyes at the request.

"No, sir. He's visiting his boyfriend in Manhattan. I came here without him. He'll be in before dinner, I think."

"What a shame." And that was it for Mr. D. He didn't say much, but if he did, it was usually exhausted and exasperated. Chiron smiled warmly at me.

"All unpacked, my boy?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir. I just came by to ask if you needed any help. I remember you said something about a new camper having some issues. Anything you need me to do?"

He sighed. "Well…"

* * *

It was hard for me to believe that a camper's first day was going that strangely. And for Chiron to receive a piece of papyrus with nothing but some random Indian word on it? That was strange too.

Chiron filled me in.

A new camper from Chicago had joined that morning. She and her mom had a severely emotionally taxing goodbye, as per Nico di Angelo's account. She settled into the Hermes cabin and made some friends. All was well so far.

She was a horrendous archer. Maybe as bad as Percy Jackson was, or so Chiron said.

And then, one of the tamest pegasi in the whole camp was terrified by her and wouldn't even let her touch him.

She swam really well, apparently, but only because of her status as a member of her middle school swim team. (What kind of middle school has a swim team?!)

Her sword-fighting skills were adequate, as Nico also said.

And she was incredibly friendly and respectful, Chiron informed me.

He asked me to keep an eye on her and let him know of any developments and anything odd I observed about her. He said he had a feeling he knew who her godly parent was and what her abilities were, but didn't want to make any unwanted or dangerous guesses, for her own and everyone else's safety.

I felt terrible about it. I hated doing that. Spying is not and will never be my strong suit. But I wouldn't say no to the camp's activities director, of all people.

So, I asked around a little and tried to find the girl, but I was too busy with my own activities to look for her. That continued for a few days until I was told by Will Solace from the Apollo cabin that she'd gone to the Arena for hand-to-hand combat with my brother Mark.

I arrived just in time to see my idiot brother raising a sword against some girl with long dark hair and tanned skin. She held up her knife and held him off for a minute, but not much longer. I grabbed some other kid's sword and leapt up onto the stage and blocked Mark's next attack, glaring at him.

We went back and forth for a few seconds, arguing. I turned around to look at the girl and blanched.

That was the girl from the dreams I'd had during the school year.

I pushed away all of my shock and nervousness, but it probably failed. I could hear the quiver in my voice.

The girl stared at me like she didn't know if I was real. She looked like the person Chiron mentioned. Dark eyes like obsidian with splatters of light brown, almost gold. Skin a few shades lighter than mine. Unruly bangs hanging over her eyes, hair the same black as her eyes. The surprised, almost fearful look didn't suit her soft, warm features.

I told her to meet me at the canoe lake. Things didn't go to plan specifically, so we ended up talking at the beach. But each was the one the other saw in their dreams.

My mind wandered back to the previous night. I'd thought nothing of it at the time, but after meeting the girl, my heart ached at remembering what had transpired in that dream.

_The girl screamed at everyone, her whole body emanating an aura of gold and disgusting green and dead purple. The flecks of bronze in her eyes seemed to glow in the light of the torches illuminating the massive arena. A massive warrior-king laughed at her anger, cooing playfully while telling her to hush up and go back to her brothers and sisters, where she was safe. _

_She snorted and spat on his face, the saliva slowly burning a hole into his cheek, the skin sizzling and hissing loudly over his wails of pain. She snarled at him. "I may not be as bright and glowing as my siblings, but I am still a child of the sun. I will burn you like you tried to burn my friends, you piece of trash."_

_I wanted to scream at her to shut up and not make the man any angrier than he already was, but my voice didn't work. _

_Reginald snorted. "Serves you right, you know. You messed with her friends. You messed with her family. You enslaved her brother. This is the fate you deserve. And when she's done with you, Tlatoany and I will make sure your army suffers for your sins. I swear it."_

_The man screeched and waved his sword around in three circles above his head. His army of monsters and teen demigods alike surrounded us, a force two thousand strong. Only three of us. _

_The girl smirked widely. "Oh, you haven't seen me yet. You haven't seen my plagues. You will." She grinned at me and Reginald, eyes glimmering from her sheer pride. "I know I promised to give it away for the stone. But believe me, this is the only way to win. Mom will forgive me even if I die. You guys get the kids. They gotta outlive me."_

_Even though I wanted to shake my head, I nodded. Reginald did too. _

_Everyone came at once. While the girl screeched back at the warrior-king, Reginald and I slipped past the army and into the tunnels, searching for the kids. A little boy of coffee skin and ebony hair came to mind. The thought of a little girl of golden locks and sapphire eyes followed soon after. _

_I peeked back to look at the battle and nearly vomited. Everywhere I looked, monsters blew up in seconds after becoming horrifyingly deformed when the girl either stabbed or touched them. The demigods all passed out, the conscious ones dragging their fellow half-bloods to safety while trying in vain to get a hit on the girl. _

_She let out one last scream, and the light increased almost a hundredfold. I couldn't see anything for a moment. Everything was white. Suddenly, the light decreased, and the girl came into view, the spots in her dark eyes glowing like the rest of her body. She and the huge man stood across from one another. _

"_Well done, runt. You've managed to destroy my creations and free my minions. But you must still fight me to get out of this place alive. For that, you need your friends. What a shame it would be if they died in the very same tunnel they entered. And those poor children! What would happen to them?!" He laughed maniacally. _

_She smiled and spoke softly. "You think you've won before lifting your sword. You think you've defeated me without laying a hand on me. There's a difference between your pride and mine. You don't have any care for truth or reality. Your pride is baseless and comes from desperation. My pride is based entirely in truth and accuracy. I know what I am. I know what I can do. I do not overstate my ability just to prove a point or seem above others. I accentuate my existing powers and skills to give myself courage. My pride comes from self-love and my desire to help others. You will have to lose, my friend. I gave up many things to put you down. I have seen so many horrors done unto good people." Her expression turned to steel. "You will never get that chance again."_

_I watched her smile sadly and force him to kneel by digging her fingers into the flesh of his face. He went down to his knees gently as she crooned, promising sleep and love and warmth and soft things. She promised him a baby's paradise. She slowly pierced his chest, her knives dripping with an overflow of disease and suffering. He screamed, but whimpered a second later. She pushed the knife in a little deeper before pulling it out quickly. _

_Her hand took hold of a massive diamond the size of an orange. Still smiling like the sun, she pressed the point of it into the knife wound in the warrior's chest. _

_At the last minute, she punched the diamond deeper, and the warrior let out one last wail of suffering before dissolving into particles of light that slipped into a doorway across from the tunnel Reginald and I had entered. The doorway reeked of torture. That's all I can say about it. _

_The demigods who'd fallen asleep or passed out during her last massive flash of light slowly arose from their slumber, watching in awe of their surroundings. They looked up at her, eyes wide and horrified. _

_She gave one last smile before the thud of her body hitting the ground shocked me to wakefulness. _

I shook my head at the memory. That dream had really shaken me up. I never thought a picture in my head could frighten me as much as that did, but it terrified me. The sound of her falling to the ground. That rang in my head. A lot of things rang in my head those days.

She and I talked for a bit. About our pasts. Our histories. Our origins. It was nice to hear someone wanted to listen to me babble on and on about my home and heritage. I don't know what she saw when I spoke about being Aztec and coming from Mexico. When she spoke about being Indian, coming from Kerala and speaking Malayalam, I saw a hesitant pride in her eyes.

She stood a bit taller, but walked a little more slowly, unsure of how to act. She spoke more warmly and brightly, but chose her words with great deliberation. Even her smile, kind and happy for what I'd seen of her so far, seemed to reach her eyes, but not the rest of her face.

At some point, I asked whether she was the camper with all the weird stories. She let out a groan and asked me if her 'rep' was that bad. I shrugged and listed out some of the few things I'd heard about her from Chiron.

She confirmed and explained them all, seeming sheepish and embarrassed the whole time. She said she was a bad archer, but I didn't believe that. Not having any hand-eye coordination isn't really an option for demigods, especially since heightened senses and almost-perfect survival skills are embedded into our very DNA.

So, I offered to teach her.

She beamed and nodded.

And then, I offered to just be her mentor, basically. She joked around, asking if this was like revenge against Mark. I said no, but kind of yes.

And then she said she wanted to teach me something too. Rattled off a few of her talents. Some were cool, like knitting. Others were weird as shit. Knowing how to speak to people older than you? Dumbest thing I'd ever heard.

But, I ended up asking her to teach me how to make friends. I didn't really get along with many people besides my younger sister from the Ares cabin. Often times, Anusha would be seen laughing or hanging around or walking with one of her friends, always a big grin on her face. The girl exuded charm and charisma. I wanted some of that. I needed friends, allies, someone to talk to. Being the cool loner is only fun at the beginning. Later on, it starts to hurt.

She happily agreed to teach me to make friends deciding to forcefully have me join my siblings for breakfast as a first step.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at Sherman's cocky, playful greeting. The guy was great and all, but he really knew how to push my buttons. Unable to choose to leave, I let Anusha make me sit down at the table. It surprised me to see her speak so fluidly with Sherman, who I assumed she'd never even met before.

The two went back and forth while Anusha looked around at the table and listened to everyone's introduction. She seemed to fall apart and give a dopey smile at seeing Kayda's sweet face. I couldn't blame her. Kayda is an angel sent by my dad to bring joy to our angry little cabin.

She conversed with just about every single person at the table, somehow. I'd never met someone so talkative or consistently friendly before. Most of my conversations happened with my other half-siblings, sometimes the people on my team during Capture the Flag, or people in my lessons. To be honest, I was surprised she even wanted to sit with us at all, the sweet fool.

Ares was war. Wrath. Anger. Inhuman rage that no one would dare challenge. Us, his kids, are the same. I was only slightly different because of my upbringing with Tetat. Kayda was extremely different because of her very traditional, gentle upbringing in Japan. But none of us were personable. And yet, this girl, this stranger sat down at our table for breakfast (Chiron rescinded all of the rules about only sitting at one's own table for meals at the pavilion) and chatted us all up.

Sherman offered her some good words when she expressed her woes regarding her first few days at camp. She thanked him and continued her discussions. I rarely paid attention, not really able to keep my mind on the topic at hand.

Anusha even made me get up and take everyone's plates down to the drop-off area. The girl really was not letting up. But I couldn't complain. I, for a long time and genuinely, spoke with and enjoyed the presence of my siblings for the first time since I joined camp.

But, we still had to talk about our dreams. We got up and strolled down to the nearest usually empty area, which was the beach adjacent to the pavilion.

The discussion lasted an hour or two. We told one another about all of the dreams we'd had where each saw the other person. The dreams were horrifying. In most of Anusha's, she died in a disturbing way. In most of mine, the group of five including Anusha and myself always got away and lived, surviving the terrifying brawls with the giant warrior-king and his army of demigods and monsters.

Except we were missing one person. The other guy.

"I called him Reggie. You called him Reginald. I don't know his last name, though. That's all we got. A face and a first name. You think anyone at camp would know about him?" Anusha wondered. I didn't think anyone did. I kept a great record of everyone at camp, either names or faces, and a person going by 'Reginald' with that face didn't match my database.

I suggested, "Let's ask around. Maybe he's a newer camper. If we still can't find him, let's wait. Maybe he's not arrived yet."

Sighing, she agreed, and we went our separate ways.

Trying to ignore my worries, I continued through the day, choosing to instead focus on my lessons and try to start the summer right.

At dinner, I saw Anusha absolutely chattering away about something or other at the Hermes cabin, laughing at her friends and tossing some food around like a usual teen hooligan. It was heartwarming to see someone my age hadn't lost all hope for joy and peace just yet. Fighting monsters and having no real outlet to talk about all the trauma of possibly dying at any given moment rests heavily on the shoulders of demigods.

It was something of a relief to see how carefree and relaxed she was about Camp Half-Blood despite her horrible dreams.

I only wished I had that kind of peace of mind.


	7. I Get a Best Friend

The day was great, but the night wasn't.

More nightmares filled my sleep.

More scenes of my brutal, vomit-inducing death.

More weird, cryptic scenes of a battle involving myself, Tatoany, and the other guy and the two kids.

I felt sick just watching from afar. I'd heard from another demigod that sometimes, our dreams are prophetic, telling us of dangers to come and wars to raze our lives. I sincerely hoped that wasn't the rule, but rather, a common occurrence.

All night, over and over, those nightmares followed me no matter how far I ran in my dreams. One after another. I saw hundreds upon hundreds of my deaths. Every fight a lost battle before it even began. This was the true terror of my first days at camp. The little spats with Mark, the arguments with people I barely knew, the beginning of a new chapter in my life, none of those scared me. This put the fear of God into my soul.

I woke up traumatized and barely functioning. Frankly, I'm surprised I even woke up, to begin with. Some deaths were worth a heart attack, if not immediate death by shock.

I heaved myself off the floor reluctantly, my back aching from the week spent sleeping on the cold cabin floor. I didn't mind. I had an overheating problem during the night, so it was mostly the cold that bothered me, not the material I slept on. I peeked outside the window, sighing.

Dawn had awoken me again. I got to my feet and slowly tried to rub alertness into my face. My hands thoughtlessly grabbed my towel, water bottle, and early morning toiletries before I stepped out of the cabin quietly.

Wash hands. Contacts. Wash face. Change into active wear. Drop off my toiletries in my backpack. Head up to my usual sunrise spot. My usual morning routine.

At least that felt remotely normal and not disturbing.

I groaned as I started the sun salutations. I had completely forgotten that later that morning was the first 'training session' with Tatoany. Well, good thing I always kept my water bottle and towel with me. I had a feeling the guy was gonna push me way harder than anyone else at camp.

Afterwards, I sat quietly, though, watching the sun like usual after the yoga was done. It never hurt my eyes, which was a relief. I couldn't afford to constantly buy contacts and glasses or to look for a new prescription.

No music that day. I just wasn't feeling it. I needed the peace of mind. Unknowingly, I started speaking into the emptiness. But now that I think about it, I think I was actually speaking to the light.

"I don't ever know what's going on. It fucking sucks. I mean, wouldn't that suck for anyone? Being so confused all the time and not having any clarity? Drives me nuts. I just want to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing here. I don't see myself fitting in anywhere. Not in any of the cabins. I'm not a genius like the Athena kids. I'm not a stellar fighter like Ares' children. Hell, I'm not even slightly good at as many things as the claimed Hermes kids are. Like, I can barely do a couple of things, and half the time, I'm always throwing shields and pretending I can be friends with everyone. I feel so weird being here. I've never had this much difficulty trying to fit in. I guess I just want to get claimed first. Get one thing out of the way so I can handle some other things. Man. Life is so weird. I went from just a weird little freshman from Chicago to a child of a god. How crazy is that?! Anyways, thanks for the talk. This felt like therapy! Maybe I'll talk more later. Bye!"

Even to this day, I have no fucking clue who I was saying goodbye to.

But alas, I couldn't keep sitting there forever. Though Sunday is reserved for being lazy and not doing shit, that wasn't an option at Camp Half-Blood.

I hurried down the slope of the hill, almost crashing into Tatoany, who stood in wait at the base. "Whoa! Sorry, dude! You okay?!"

He snorted. "I thought you were a morning person. Never realized light would have you running." He grunted when I punched him in the shoulder.

"Oh, shut it. I thought I hit you or something. What's on the schedule, Mr. Castillo?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "You're such an embarrassment. Anyways, we'll start with a little run. About three miles. And then we'll do a couple of activities. Whatever you like, pick from a list I've made, and we'll go off of that."

"You sure you haven't ever taught before? Sounds like a good plan," I admitted. Tatoany shrugged.

"Do I seem like a teacher to you? Just because I'm kinda good at it doesn't mean I should be doing it. Someone personable like you would be better suited to teaching people."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. The guy sounded so nonchalant about his self-judgement that I was amused. "Dude, that made no sense. I mean, thank you, but still. Being good at something is a great reason to do it more. To develop a skill, you need to do it more." He raised an eyebrow at me but shrugged, turning a little to begin the run.

"Come on. Let's run and talk. I have a feeling you only do things if you think you'll enjoy them."

Jogging beside him, I nodded. "Precisely! But also, I do things if I have to for the sake of others."

He let out a chuckle. "How noble of you!"

I nodded again, gravely. "Indeed."

He laughed brighter, shaking his head in amusement as we ran a bit faster. I took peeks at the world rushing past me. Trees taller than any of the redwoods in California. Rocks more smooth and ancient than the sands beneath the sea. Sunlight slipping through the canopy crevices more ethereal than any angel of Heaven. This was paradise.

Well, paradise only lasted until we ran into a giant scorpion-looking creature bigger than a baby elephant. Tatoany smirked at me. "Let's put Nico's lessons to use. Knives out, Anusha. Time to fight."

I did not want to fight. Especially not on an empty stomach. But there I was, trying to not die while a scorpion monster snapped at me with its claws and tried to sting me with its tail. It hissed and foamed at the mouth, razor-sharp teeth gnashing as it narrowly missed my leg.

I whipped out both the knives, twirling the handles a few times as I tried to figure out what I was supposed to do. Tatoany slashed at the monster, keeping its stinger at bay.

It snarled and turned to him entirely, trying to grab at him with the pincers right before slamming its tail down towards him to dig the stinger into his flesh. He leapt away every time it got close enough to breathe on him. He smirked at me. "What do you do? What's the next move?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" I yelled, sprinting to avoid the scorpion's stinger when it jumped back to avoid my friend's blade.

"Remember what Nico says about weak spots. Look for them while keeping it far away enough to observe its behavior. What's the one part of its body you haven't seen yet? What hasn't it shown you throughout the fight?!" he called out.

Grinding my teeth, I tried to slash at the creature a few times, relishing in its angry, pained hisses. The realization hit me like a truck.

"Its stomach!"

He nodded in approval, hacking off one of the beast's legs. "Go for it, then! I won't tell you how!"

I growled in frustration. How the fuck would I know how to get it in the belly?! I'd never fought a monster before! My eyes widened. To do what he said, I had to use the trees. I yelled at Tatoany. "START CLIMBING. PICK A TALL ONE AND GO!"

Grinning, he strapped the hilt of his sword to his wrist with a piece of strong cloth before jumping up onto a branch and beginning the climb upwards. The creature, enraged at his escape, scuttled after him, barely managing to climb a few feet because of its lost limb. I climbed the opposite side of the tree, across from the scorpion. And just when it stretched its body away from the surface of the tree bark to move its stinger out to nick Tatoany, I reached around the trunk and stabbed it as hard and as deeply as I could with one knife, having tucked the other one away for convenience during the climb.

I screamed and fell off the tree when it erupted into dust. Tatoany laughed as he climbed down, patting my arm after he heaved me up off of the ground. "That was good! You're quite a quick learner, I must say," he teased.

"Dude, I was fucking terrified. Are you not disturbed?!"

He snorted. "I've been here since I was eleven, Anusha. Nothing really scares me much anymore."

I gaped. "No wonder."

Tatoany laughed and nodded. "Come on. Still lots to do."

This guy was so creative with my training torture. After that monster fight, he made us continue the run for another three miles. We stopped just outside the Arena, where he had me do almost a hundred jumping jacks, fifty sit-ups, a hundred squats, and a hundred pushups. In that order, three times over. My legs screamed. My arms wailed and whimpered. My stomach churned. My chest heaved, and my lungs burned. My throat could barely work, and my nose hurt. Even my hands shook with violent tremors, as if an earthquake had taken up residence in my nerves.

I had never been so destroyed during a workout before.

In fact, that exercise was so intense and ruthless for me that I ended up puking in the nearest trash can. I hadn't even eaten anything, but I heaved as if I'd stuffed myself the night before. It was disturbing. Tatoany's anxiety spiked, and he consoled and cajoled me, letting me sit and relax and do some slow walking until I felt better. He pulled a little plastic Ziploc bag out of his pocket and handed me a little square of what looked like a crustless lemon bar. I popped it into my mouth and nearly choked from how hard I gasped.

I thought it would have the tart-sweet taste of a traditional lemon bar. No.

It tasted like my neighbor Evelyn's amazing chocolate strawberry cake. She made it specially for my tenth birthday, and then she made it every single birthday I asked for her cake. Tears welled up in my eyes at the bittersweet memory. Bittersweet because Evelyn had become terribly ill this past year. I missed her dearly.

He smiled at me sadly, apologetically, dark eyes almost tearing up from the guilt I saw consuming him. "Hey, man, just relax. It's fine. I know you didn't do that on purpose. You don't know me that well. We have a lot of differences between us. Primarily, the fact that you're a guy, and I'm a girl. And that you're a son of Ares. I couldn't expect you to know my limits or ability. No big deal. But let's work together on this more, okay? Can't workout like that again," I joked weakly.

Tatoany chuckled and nodded, patting my back as he helped me up and guided me to a bench so I could relax a bit more before continuing the workout. Thankfully, I didn't need that much time to get better. The stuff he gave me made me feel infinitely better in a matter of minutes. I later learned that it was ambrosia, the food of the gods. It worked the exact same way as nectar.

The next part of the workout was sword-fighting. I admit, I sucked. I barely made it out alive. Every slash I made, every swing I took, every jab of the wooden practice sword, Tatoany blocked with very little effort. I tried to recall what Nico had taught me, but the son of Hades was mostly teaching me how to do the movements, not really how to fight with an experienced partner. But I took a breather and waited for sunrise to reach the Arena, and I grinned. Just being in the light was kind of refreshing. Warm, but not overbearing.

I sat and waited peacefully to regain some energy and strength. Once I felt like I could handle having to fight again, I stood and brandished my knives. This time, instead of just rushing him, I tried to watch his feet, try and see where he would move before making any attack.

Tatoany grinned in approval.

The battle resumed, and we fought like that. Back and forth, push and pull. Each attack from him somehow made me a better fighter. I figured out new ways to block, new ways to get a hit on him. At the end, he still had his sword to my chin, but I had my knife pressed up against his heart. Laughing through the pain, we sheathed our weapons and finished off the last of the training session with some simple stretching before making our way down to the infirmary.

Will greeted us just inside the door. "Hey, you two! What can I- ugh. Again, Tatoany? Seriously? What have I told you about fighting safely?" He scolded my trainer friend.

Tatoany shrugged. "Sorry. This one is a better fighter than I gave her credit for. I didn't think she'd get me as many times as she did. Mind patching me up?" He smiled sheepishly at the sunny-haired head counselor, who grumbled and rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Just go sit down on a bed. Anusha, take a spot beside him. Easier to get you both at the same time. Let me just give Malcolm a salve for his rash, and I'll be with you," he promised, smiling warmly at me.

I nodded, smiling just as sweetly and moving carefully to sit on one of the beds near the windows. Tatoany plopped down on a bed to my left. "Clearly, you come in here pretty often. Any particular reason?"

He smiled. "I'm something of a hazardous fighter. I go a bit too hard when it comes to sword-fighting practice. Will had to patch me up eighteen times in one week last summer. He was so fed up with me. But, he can't say shit since one of his siblings is dating Arthur, who's a hazard to himself and everyone else. So, he just deals with it. But that doesn't mean he likes seeing me in here all the time."

I snickered as I looked around the infirmary while my friend recounted his experiences with Will Solace. The infirmary was far more empty compared to the previous day. Only five or six campers laying in the sixty or so beds. It was so pristine, I finally felt at peace.

In case you've already forgotten, my mother raised me to be a germaphobe. I hate the dusty, dirty nature of the cabins and showers. It's so gross. But the infirmary felt like a little piece of heaven.

Will approached us, blue scrubs freshly pressed and gloves perfectly fitted to his hands. "You kids always find ways to get into trouble, don't you?" He sighed, shaking his head in dismay. "Anusha, you're innocent in this. You didn't know you'd get hit this many times. But Tatoany? Really? I've never known you to underestimate anyone before. Especially not a girl," he commented with a frown.

He pulled out a first aid kit and began working on my cuts and bruises, dabbing at them with some hydrogen peroxide solution to disinfect the damaged skin.

"Well, she isn't exactly what I'd consider a conventional fighter. Very few campers are as sweet and childish and innocent as her. Even fewer among that group are also good fighters. I just didn't anticipate a social butterfly to have such aptitude with knives, which are also pretty well known for being difficult weapons to use."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't know whether I should be flattered or insulted."

Will chuckled to himself, rolling his eyes. "I mean, they're good points. Can't argue there." I pouted at him but smiled when he handed me a lollipop for being such a good patient. He ruffled my hair. "It's hard, having to transition your way of life in such little time. But just know that I'm always here if you need to talk. I really get what you're going through. As much as I love my dad and half-siblings, I'm always a mama's boy at heart."

I nodded, smiling brightly as I unwrapped the cotton candy-flavored lollipop. "Okay! Thanks, Will!"

He laughed. "No problem, shortie." I didn't even mind the jab at my height, instead choosing to happily consume my little treat while watching Tatoany's banter with Will. "Seriously, man. Are you actively trying to get into here all the time? Are you crushing on one of my siblings or something and come here just to hang out with them? Really, dude. You gotta stay out of the infirmary."

My Ares buddy grumbled. "I do not crush on people, William. I just can't help it. I haven't met a person here that really challenges my desire to fight. Until I find that person, expect to see me at least once every few weeks at the least, okay? I'll try to avoid coming in more often than that."

Sighing, the older teen nodded. "Fine. Just stay safe, okay? Anusha, can I trust you to keep this hazard out of trouble?" He looked at me over his shoulder. I nodded, humming in affirmation. He smirked at Tatoany. "Look at that. Now you have a babysitter to keep you from coming in here all the time." He stretched his arms, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

I sighed upon realizing the thoughts that had begun to fill the back of my mind. Four and a half hours of sleep, extreme muscle fatigue, insomnia, hunger pains, a strained ankle, several knots in the trapezius, a damaged ACL. Will was barely alive.

"Will, where's Nico?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "At his cabin, kiddo. Why?"

I huffed. "You clearly haven't been spending enough time with him, considering your condition. Seriously, man, you're dead on your feet. You need food, rest, and healing. You're gonna run yourself into the ground."

Will pouted. "No fair. You can't use your weird powers against me like that."

My eyes narrowed. "Try me, Solace, and I'll go complain to Nico that you're barely alive." He squinted back at me. I sighed. "Please, Will. This is destructive. I don't even know you well, but I know you're the type to die of exhaustion in an attempt to help everyone on the planet except yourself. In fact, get up."

I walked over and pulled him up, dragging Tatoany along behind me. I strode all the way down to the Apollo Cabin, which nearly blinded me from the blinding reflection of the sunlight. Wow, that was lame. Using the same adjective twice in one sentence. What is happening to me?!

I knocked on the door, and Naomi opened it, grinning at me before giving me a tight hug.

She asked, "Hey, girl! What brings you here?"

"William Solace. This man is ruining his health, Naomi. Could you take over for him at the infirmary?" The girl glared at Will upon hearing my response. She nodded. "Absolutely, I can do that, Anusha. Go take him wherever you need to. I'll get one of my siblings up out of bed, and we'll take the infirmary."

"Thanks!" We exchanged cheek kisses, and I pulled my two friends down to the pavilion after a moment of rest. They walked in pace with me, so I didn't have to pull them anymore.

"You really are such a worrywart," complained Will.

I smirked. "Thanks."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well, at least you're nice about it. Some of my siblings will literally throw me out of the infirmary to make me go rest. Nico just tosses me over his shoulder and walks out without letting me defend myself."

Tatoany snorted. "Because they're worried. You can't blame them for being upset that you won't take care of yourself. I may not be close to my siblings, but that doesn't mean I don't understand them. They just want to help, and they know you're stubborn and won't listen."

Will put a hand up and opened his mouth to argue, but relented and nodded. "Fair enough. So why are you kids up so early? It's like, just past eight."

I sighed. "Tato wants to train me and stuff. I don't mind, but I need to get in my sun salutations and stuff. Just a good, relaxing way to start out the day. So, I got up earlier and finished my routine by like seven fifteen and went to train with him until like ten minutes ago."

"Pretty impressive. You get up at dawn, though? Isn't that super early for most people? Apollo kids are used to it. Dad doesn't leave us many options when it comes to wake up and bedtime routines, but…"

My shoulders bumped up and down in a helpless shrug. "Just feels natural."

We strolled into the pavilion, choosing to sit together at the Apollo table since no one else was occupying the space. Breakfast was pretty uneventful. Good, easy conversation, tasty food, chill vibes. It was wonderful.

I left a little early to speak with Chiron about getting that sex-ed program started at Camp. Tatoany joined me because he had his usual lessons with the ancient demigod teacher in an hour.

I braced myself before knocking on the door to Chiron's office. I didn't know how he would receive my request, but I hoped he would approve.

* * *

"You want to start a program where campers can learn about puberty and sexual health from you and any other older camper who wants to offer some guidance or teaching. And you're here because you want to get my permission to begin this whole system. Do I have that right?" Chiron asked.

Biting my lip, I bobbed my head in agreement. "Is it a good idea?"

He smiled. "My dear, it's a fantastic idea. I just wonder if you would be qualified to speak on the topic since you are but a young woman yourself."

I laughed lightly. "Chiron, I may be young, but I'm a period veteran of five years. I have way more menstrual experience than the other fourteen-year-old girls at Camp. I'll manage." Both Chiron and Tatoany shifted uncomfortably at that, shifting their eyes away from me for a few moments before I spoke again. "Besides, I'm not starting this based on my own knowledge. I'll consult the Apollo, Athena, and Aphrodite cabins as well. This isn't just about sexual health or puberty and such. This is about the whole process of transitioning from late childhood to early pre-adulthood. This is important. Some of the counselors are too awkward to talk about this. Some don't know how to teach this. Believe me, this needs to happen."

Humming to himself, Chiron finally agreed. "But on one condition: you need to show me a curriculum for both biological sexes. Though a camper may identify as a specific gender, the requirements for their biological sex are specific and cannot be ignored."

I beamed. "I'll have both curricula in your hands by the end of the week."

He smiled and nodded. "Very well. And please, do include the camp rules adhering to interactions between campers of different cabins in your presentations. I'm afraid some of the newer campers do not know the policies. Connor will have the rule book in the Hermes cabin."

Nodding, I leaped up and thanked Chiron several times before saying my goodbyes to Tatoany, giving him a brief hug about the shoulders. He just rolled his eyes and patted my back.

I couldn't wait to start setting up my lessons. So, I got to work. I rushed down to the Athena cabin and asked Malcolm if I could have some books on reproductive biology and sexual health. I explained my idea for the puberty, sexual health, and healthy relationship program I wanted to start. Chuckling, he let me sit and work in his cabin, allowing me to note down as much information as I could about the topics. He promised to tell Connor I'd need the next few days off of lessons to work on my curricula that I promised Chiron.

But, I knew Tatoany was a stubborn-ass that wouldn't let me off of training, so I made myself fall into a daily schedule for the next few days.

It was grueling, but very simple and easy to follow. Get up before sunrise. Handle my morning routine. Go for training with Tatoany. Eat breakfast and then take a shower. Sit down to work on the curriculum in the Athena cabin. Leave the Athena cabin and eat lunch. Go to a few lessons, usually sword-fighting with Nico, Ancient Greek with Malcolm, and pegasi-riding with Jesse. Eat dinner with the Hermes cabin. Work on the curriculum until bedtime. Go to sleep. Repeat.

This schedule kept me sane until Saturday, when I brought the curricula to the Big House's front porch, where Chiron sat playing chess with Tatoany.

"Hello, Chiron, sir! I have the curricula! Do you want to look at them?" I called out while walking up the front steps. The bearded man looked up from the chessboard and smiled, holding an arm out.

"Anusha, my dear. Welcome. Tlatoany was just about to receive a thorough defeat from me. Please, sit. Let me finish this game, and I will read over the curricula," he promised. Grinning, I plopped down in a seat adjacent to both of the tall males and watched their game intensely.

Tatoany looked up at me and smiled, leaning his head forward. I hummed and moved closer, pressing my right cheek to his. It had become a common greeting among my close friends for no real reason except that it was cute and easy and very comforting. "Hey, Anu," he acknowledged in his usual baritone tambour.

"Hey, Tato." My eyes took great notice of both Chiron and Tatoany's steely focus on the game board. I'd never seen them so stiff and unmoving before. "I was just wondering. Is your name 'Tlatoany' or 'Tatoany'? People call you both, right?"

Sighing, my long-haired Ares friend nodded, smiling calmly at me. "Yes. They call me both. My real name is Tlatoany. But I allow people to call me 'Tatoany' for a few reasons. The first is that my mother began calling me that name to protect me when we first crossed from Mexico to the US. Very native-sounding names are kind of red flags in the eyes of mixed Mexicans. Many of my people have been stigmatized for their connections to the original people of Mexico, even though the masses take pride in the little Aztec or Mayan blood they have in them. Another reason is that most people cannot pronounce the 'tl' sound in my name, so they call me 'Tatoany'. Both names mean the same thing. One is just closer to the actual pronunciation."

I nodded slowly as he spoke, trying my best to take in the info and process it the way he would want me to. "So what do you want me to call you?"

He smiled. "Tlatoany." Quickly, he pulled away at my outstretched hand.

I gave a hesitant grin. "Hello, Tlatoany Castillo. My name is Anusha Rajachari. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He laughed and played along. "Likewise, my good friend." Winking, he teased, "Now can you shut up so I can win this game?"

Although my face contorted into a petulant pout, my heart was a-flutter with joy. I loved seeing my friends happy. Well, I liked seeing him happy. I mean, I only knew the guy for a week or so, but it felt like I knew him quite well. Something about that friendship just made me so much happier about being at Camp.

Chiron let out a disappointed exhale when he lost. "Alas. I suppose I have to hand over the torch to someone else at some point. Well done, my boy." He patted Tlatoany's arm before turning to me. "The papers?"

I placed them in his hands, my entire body shivering with the anxiety of being evaluated on my planning and teaching skills.

Silence filled the space between me, Chiron, and Tlatoany. A quietness thick enough to cut with a chainsaw. Chiron's eyes narrowed as he scanned over the giant stack of lined paper. He hummed and tapped his chin at reading some parts, while laughing lightly at others. He spent a solid seven minutes reading the whole thing. The old teacher smiled upon handing the papers back to me.

"Quite thorough plans, my dear. To be honest, I'm quite impressed. I approve. You can begin your lessons whenever you please. But show these plans to Will and to Mitchell, who's the counselor of the Aphrodite cabin. Once you have their approval, you can start."

I couldn't hold back my grin. I could, however, hold back my scream of excitement. I squeaked out, "Thank you!"

He chuckled. "Congratulations, Anusha. Well done. Now, I'm sure you must hurry to your lessons. I doubt Mr. di Angelo would be pleased with tardiness from his assistant," he warned.

Groaning and rolling my eyes, I stood and collected my papers. I pleaded, "Could you tell Nico I'll be at the Arena in a few minutes? I have to put these somewhere."

Tlatoany sighed, standing and taking my papers into his hands. "I'll take them to the Athena cabin. Zeus knows the Hermes kids probably won't leave your stuff alone if they saw this much paper in there." I smiled gratefully and turned, sprinting to the Arena at top speed.

"THANKS, BRO!" I called back to him.

He laughed loudly at that.

Nico squinted at me when I slid into the Arena. "Sorry! Sorry! I was talking to Chiron! Sorry, Nico!"

The older demigod raised a dramatic eyebrow at my haggard appearance: hair barely held together, T-shirt completely akimbo, jeans dirty and stretched weirdly, face red from the cold air hitting my cheeks as I raced to the lesson. "No problem. Just grab a sword and shield. We're doing blocking today. Just don't toss your shield. I doubt anyone would be willing to give you theirs," he teased.

Unable to retort, I pouted silently and picked up a sword and wooden shield from the rack while making my way up to the stage. "So rude."

"Just being honest. Anyways, everyone gather 'round. Class started five minutes ago."

* * *

Once again, Nico's lessons left me suffering from multiple aching muscles and reeling with knowledge. He was impressed that I was able to somewhat keep up with him when we sparred during the others' practice. "Picked up a few tricks from your new friend, huh?" he joked.

I had laughed breathlessly. "You could say that."

Of course, I lost to him again, but I didn't despair my awaiting mortality for the duration of the fight. I actually felt good. Prepared, somewhat. Confident, mostly. Hopeful, almost.

He patted my back when I put away the gear we'd used during class, explaining that we had Capture The Flag the next day. "I'm pretty sure it's Hermes versus Ares now. Your cabin-mates pulled a pretty rough prank on Arthur, and now he's out for trickster blood. I've already decided to join Hermes, since the Hades cabin only has me. Cabins are making some alliances as we speak. Use that charm of yours and try to pull in Hecate and Aphrodite to our side, yeah? We need lots of help since Athena's allied with Ares already."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "But I don't know anyone at all from Hecate or Aphrodite."

He smiled. "Kid, you get along with everyone. Just figure it out. Besides, you at least can talk to the counselors since you went to some meetings with them. Just try."

I nodded, figuring I had to ask the Aphrodite counselor about my teen health program, so asking them to ally with Hermes wouldn't be so hard. But Hecate? I had to find another reason to talk to them.

Right after talking to Nico, I headed to the Aphrodite cabin. The bright, highlighter pink shade of the building disturbed me, but I forced myself to knock on the door anyways. A tall young man with dark brown, almost black hair and vibrant blue eyes opened the door. He tilted his head to the side and adjusted his glasses, smiling at me hesitantly.

"Hey. What can I do for you?"

I swear to god, I nearly melted into my shoes. You could tell from his features he was a son of Aphrodite. Perfectly clear olive skin shone over high but round features, bright white teeth, curly dark locks that were forced up into a man bun. _Damn_. I was ready to grovel like a peasant.

But because I have more pride than anything else, I held those thoughts back and smiled. "Hey, there! I'm one of the new kids in the Hermes cabin. I kind of need your help with something. You got a minute to talk?"

He checked his silver and gold watch briefly before nodding. "Yeah, I remember you. Came to the counselor meeting, right? Come on in, kiddo. Name's Mitchell, by the way."

I nodded in thanks and hesitantly took a seat on a stool near the door. "Thanks, Mitchell. And yep, that's me."

He chuckled warmly and pulled up a chair, sitting down right across from me. "So what is it that you need?"

"Well, I'm kind of working on this like, teen health program for the campers. Anyone who needs to know about sexual, relationship, and puberty-related health. I already made lesson plans for biological males and females. I included sexual identity and gender identity stuff in the relationship unit. Chiron already okay-ed everything. He suggested I check with you and Will before I start the lessons."

His eyebrows went up in surprise. "Wait, really? I thought we had a puberty video or something for the campers."

I shrugged. "I heard the same thing, but if so few people know that it exists, it's probably pretty bad and not helpful. I decided since I have a fairly large amount of experience with learning about and teaching about puberty, I should start something like this."

Mitchell grinned at me, nodding his head. "Sounds like a fantastic idea. Are those the lesson plans?" he asked, motioning to the stack in my hands. Nodding, I handed them to him.

"Yep! Mind reading them and giving me your opinion?"

He laughed like music. "Of course not. Give me a few minutes, okay, hon?"

I sat quietly and gazed around the cabin, slightly in awe of how perfectly clean but also chaotic it was. This was the true Barbie House. Mattel could never. Man, the cabin was the epitome of cloying.

It was the pinkest, most love-obsessed place I'd ever seen. Every bed had its own personality. Some were clean, simple, very minimalist, with only some pictures hanging on the wall behind it and some basic decorative pillows. Others had more stuff on them than the bed could accommodate. The walls were bright fuschia, mirrors lining any available space that wasn't occupied by a wardrobe or a bed. Not even a candy wrapper could be found on the floor. Clearly, Mitchell was a neat freak kind of cabin counselor. Still, despite all the pink, I really appreciated how clean the whole place was. Not even a fiber of cloth out of place.

He grinned widely, rounded cheeks stretching with the effort. "Honey, these are some fantastic plans! That's amazing! Yes, I definitely approve. If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to come and teach with you. The love and relationships unit is so beautifully organized. You're unclaimed, right? I hope you're in my cabin," he exclaimed.

I laughed, thanking him profusely. "That's so awesome! And thanks, Mitchell. I would love to have a co-teacher. But I don't know if I'm up to par with Cabin Ten's standard of beauty," I admitted.

He waved his hands, shaking his head. "Nonsense! Beauty is relative, sugar. Sure, some people may not think you're beautiful, but someone else does. Remember, beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. And that beholder should be you first and foremost. Beauty isn't only for those who are conventionally beautiful. For example, Winnie Harlow is a pretty famous model. She has a skin condition called vitiligo, which causes the melanin in her skin to denature, so she has spots and sections of her face that are fair rather than dark like the rest of her skin. Some wouldn't consider her beautiful because of her skin. But, she made it big in an industry completely related to beauty. That's what Aphrodite stands for. Beauty and loving oneself no matter what others say. And beauty isn't an end goal. Beauty is important to us because beautiful things make people happy. Flowers. Nature. Scenic views. All beautiful. But beautiful relative to other things. So no. You are definitely beautiful. Maybe not in the same way as others, but difference and uniqueness and individuality are what make each of us beautiful."

I grinned. "Is everyone at camp this good of a pep talker?"

He laughed brightly, covering his eyes with one hand. "Such a charmer! Maybe. We need to give ourselves pep talks so many times because of the constant danger. Because of that, we get good enough to give good pep talks to others."

"That's so depressing."

Mitchell shrugged. "You get used to it."

I winced. "I'm so glad I added a mental health unit, too."

He smiled. "Yep. Me too. Most of the campers are really damaged. Kind of an unintended side effect of being a demigod." While explaining that point, he cocked his head to one side and gave me a sad smile. "I can see the beginnings of it in you too. Nightmares?"

That startled me. "Uh, excuse me?"

Mitchell sighed. "One of mom's genetic gifts to me. Like how my sisters Piper and Drew have charmspeak, the ability to convince others to do your will just with your voice, I can sense emotions. My emotion-reading is less accurate and powerful than my mother's abilities, but I can manage."

"Oh. Like how I can see injuries and pain and stuff?" I wondered aloud.

He smiled. "Yep. Will told me about that. Weird talent for such a new camper, honestly. Anyways, I figure you still need to talk to him, also, right?"

"Yeah. I need him to check on the science stuff. Not sure if I have all the facts right, but I doubt the Athena cabin has inaccurate textbooks." I stood and took my leave, thanking Mitchell again for checking my lesson plans. "Hey, quick favor, if you don't mind?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

I smiled as sweet and adorable as I could manage. "I was asked if I could bring the Aphrodite cabin to join Hermes for Capture the Flag tomorrow. Will you join us, Mitchell? Please?"

The older camper groaned. "I am so weak to kids with sweet faces. Fineee. Aphrodite will ally with Hermes for tomorrow."

Cheering, I gave him a high five and sped away to the Apollo cabin. His laugh followed me the entire way there.

I knocked on the door of the sun-yellow cabin, only to see Austin, laughing with his siblings with his quiver and bow hanging on his shoulders. He turned to me, eyes wide. "Anusha? What are you doing here? Archery is tomorrow, not today. I'm going for practice, if you wanna join."

"No, no. Sorry, Austin. I'm actually here to ask where Will is. I need him to look over these lesson plans. I'm starting a teen health program. Chiron okayed it but wanted me to get the Apollo and Aphrodite cabins' stamp of approval. I already have Mitchell's."

He grinned. "Cool! Yeah, Will's down at the strawberry fields. He's hanging out with Miranda and Lou Ellen and Cecil. I'm sure he'd be happy to look at that stuff. Good luck!" The sweet guy gave a hopeful grin and a double thumbs-up before hurrying away with his sister, closing the golden door behind him. Sighing, I made the trek to the fields, never having visited that place in my time spent at Camp Half-Blood so far.

"Will? You here?" I called out.

"Over here!" came a distant shout of confirmation. I followed the voice to find a group of four teens sitting in a circle, including Will, Miranda, and two strangers who I assumed were Lou Ellen and Cecil. The blonde-haired son of Apollo beamed at me. "Hey, sweetheart. What can I do for you?"

I smiled and waved to everyone before sitting close to Will. "Hey, Miranda. Hey, Will! Not much. I need you to read these papers really quick." I explained what they were and why I needed him to read them as I placed the stack in his Go-Fish-occupied hands.

He chuckled warmly. "Already the new girl is brewing up plans to make camp better. Pretty impressive. All of the info is damn accurate and well-explained. I just have to ask if you plan on teaching it all yourself. Not too advisable. Campers can be kind of awkward sometimes, and having a girl teach about male health might not be the best idea."

Vehemently, I shook my head. "No, no. Mitchell himself offered to teach the male health section. I'll let him choose whichever parts he wants to teach. But if you or any of the other counselors want to take some stuff and teach it yourselves, I'm perfectly happy to give those portions up."

Will looked at the others, blue eyes widening and narrowing in response to each of the three individuals' facial cues. He smiled at me, patting my shoulder. "Lou Ellen and I can also help teach. Since we don't exactly know which parts Mitchell wants, let's — the three of us — meet up at dinner and work through that, okay? We can sit at Nico's table. Maybe he'll also want to teach. Gods know he's an amazing teacher."

A smirk peeked out of the corner of my lips. "You don't need to tell me."

Snickering and snorting, Will tossed an arm around my shoulders and gave a smirk of his own. "Apollo is joining Hermes too. Nico told me he joined Hermes too, and that he asked you to bring us allies. So how's your campaign to convince people to join our side? You get Aphrodite?"

I smirked wider. "Mitchell said yes on behalf of Aphrodite. I have yet to convince Hecate."

Will smacked my back in a slightly irritating, slightly painful, and completely brotherly manner. "I'm so fucking glad we have Hermes on our team. You Hermes bunch are so damn charismatic. I love that about you guys."

I raised an eyebrow. "But the Aphrodite kids have charmspeak."

He laughed. "Sweetie, it's one thing to make people do as you say because you have convincing magic. It's another thing to make people do as you say because they believe you and think you're right and looking out for them. It's just a Hermes kind of trait. It's pretty fantastic."

Cecil huffed. "I'm literally a son of Hermes, you ass. Why can't you talk about me like that?!"

Will shrugged, flicking his friend in the forehead like the merciless demon he is. "Because she's cute, tiny, nice, and gets along with everyone. You are only tiny and cute. That's about it." His snickers morphed into screams when Cecil growled at him, initiating a chase around the fields that left seven bushes damaged and left two teens scraped up and panting.

"I hate you, Will."

"Love you too, man. Anyways, you haven't properly met the weirdo of the Hermes cabin, I bet. This girl is always busy," commented my favorite teacher's boyfriend. He sat between Miranda and me, grinning. "Cecil, Anusha. Anusha, my buddy Cecil Markowitz."

I stuck a hand out and lifted my eyebrows in surprise at the older teen's incredibly thin hand. "Nice to meet you."

He winked. "Likewise. You're the needle chick, right?"

Like usual, I groaned at the mention of one of the weird events that conspired last week. "Yep."

Cecil nodded in sympathy. "When you're as weird as you, Anusha, people tend to take notice. Kinda hard not to. I mean, if they're all just coincidence, no one gives a shit. But if it turns out that you're special in some way, then your time in the spotlight won't end anytime soon."

"I'll take your word for it, bro."

Will rolled his eyes. "You two are such a weird pair." Cecil and I simultaneously stuck out tongues out at him, laughing at that a moment later. "Anusha, this weirdo here is Lou Ellen Blackstone, Hecate counselor. These two are my best friends in the whole world. Idiots, but my best friends nonetheless."

I grinned and shook hands with the dark-haired, green-eyed magician. I could feel her power radiating off of her skin, actually. I didn't expect to, which was the only disturbing part. But it was such a weird feeling. It's like when you put your hand in water and ripples form, but with this, the ripples hit you. No other way to describe it. I quickly stood, sighing. "Nice to meet you, Lou Ellen. Well, I'd better head out. Still lots of lessons to go to since I skipped them for a solid three days."

Cecil whistled. "Three whole days? How the hell did you convince Connor to let you off that long?"

I smiled, simply responding, "I'm charming as fuck."

He booed at the playful brag, laughing when I punched his arm in retaliation. "Chill, shortie. All's well. Well, have fun. Come by the Hecate cabin later if you still wanna hang out with us. Will's taking a day off from the infirmary."

"Awesome. See you guys later!" I called while running to the Archery range. It was a good time to start actually learning the skills I had no skills in since my fellow Hermes residents continued learning without me during my three-day hiatus. If I decided to teach the teen health thing, I would at least occupy the other half of my time by properly learning to do important things.

Austin and another Apollo girl and a couple of random campers huddled together in the Archery range, discussing something loudly. They turned their heads and winced upon laying their gazes upon me.

"Hey, Anusha!" called the sunny saxophone player. "Here to practice with us?" He asked. I shrugged, jogging over and giving him a fist-bump.

"I guess. I'm already behind on other stuff, so I might as well take today to work on the activities I'm bad at so I can spend the rest of the week catching up on other lessons," I explained. Austin nodded, one hand twisting an arrow that the other held gingerly.

"Makes sense. Need some pointers?"

I grinned. "That would be much appreciated. Tlatoany's been working with me on being a better archer, but I haven't gotten any better."

He nodded to the others, who groaned and trudged away to their own targets while Austin led me back to the supply table near the range. "Pick out something that feels comfortable in your hand. The bow should be strong enough that when you pull it, it moves, but without breaking or cracking. Arrows should be a comfortable length too. It shouldn't be too long that it gets hard to pull one from a quiver, but it also cannot be too short that it doesn't need any strength to release," he patiently elaborated.

I quietly picked up and pulled the string of a few bows until one kind of suited my arm length and strength. The arrows needed more work, since I had to make sure they didn't fall out of the quiver as I picked one out and held it to the bowstring.

Once I chose a set that was about three-fourths the length of my arm, Austin ushered me towards a target near the edge of the space, so I wouldn't injure other archers.

He smiled and slowly walked me through the physical motions of properly shooting an arrow. I had to first stand in the correct position and then mimic pulling an arrow from the quiver he forced me to hang on my back and then pretend to nock the arrow and release it. He only let me use an actual arrow once I'd repeated the process more than fifty times.

But, because the Universe hates me, I still missed the target by a lot. The arrow I'd released landed nowhere near the wooden board.

Sighing and whining, Austin squeezed his face with the heels of his palms.

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off over his head. Not literally, but it might as well have. He yelled for me to wait there and "DON'T DO ANYTHING!" as he turned and ran off somewhere random. I turned to look at the other archers, who snickered behind their hands. "You just got ghosted by an archery teacher, dude. That's mortifying."

I rolled my eyes. "Bitch, I know. But, alas, such is my life." Sighing, I sat down on the grass and plucked the bowstring in a vaguely musical way to cure my boredom and despair.

After what felt like an hour but was only ten minutes, Austin returned with a gaggle of Ares kids holding shields. I stared at him, speaking in a deadpanned tone. "Austin, I think you're a great dude. Nice, funny, musically talented, and smart. But, truly and genuinely, what in the actual fuck is this?"

The young African-American teen smiled like the sun, which is to say, blindingly. "Well…I remember Will saying that you react to projectiles in an instinctive way. I have a theory that you don't do well with stiff targets because your mind is wired to attack or apprehend approaching objects with pure animal instinct rather than to attack a stiff, unmoving object."

I just sat with my mouth hung open in shock as I stood up. "For a child of the sun god, that was some Athena-level logic, bro."

We fist-bumped again.

He pushed me by my shoulders to an area several tens of feet away from the actual archery range. He kept me standing in the center of a circle almost ten yards wide, each camper making the border of the circle. Austin grinned. "Since you work by instinct, you're going to shoot any shield that flies near or past you. You'll know the timing subconsciously. But use your eyes to look for the targets. These guys will keep moving the shields and stuff, tossing them to one another across the circle. Shoot the shield down before it reaches the other person."

I bit my lip and twirled the hem of my shirt on my thumb. "Um. Are you sure this is a good idea? You know my track record with archery. What if I hit them?"

He laughed. "My big brother is the best healer at camp, and as far as I know, he's your friend. He'll come and help fix up anyone. Besides, I asked these Ares kids to come help because they can deal with a few arrows in their legs without losing their minds."

Still frowning, I nodded slowly, breathing deep to keep calm and focused.

Austin left the circle and stood on the outside from a place where he could still see me.

At his whistle, it began.

I have to give credit to those Ares kids, they fuckin' had it all down. They threw shields like it was no one's business. It was like watching the most intense game of frisbee ever. I was actually too overwhelmed to shoot any at first. But, I closed my eyes and then turned some random number of degrees and picked a shield and shot it. It wasn't exactly a bullseye, but it was close enough.

I kept doing that. I turned. I found a shield. I released an arrow. After just twenty minutes, I'd used up all of the arrows, and each of the nine shields (one shield per Ares camper) had at least four arrows in it. Of the four, two arrows were bullseyes. Two were not. Closer to the second half of the session, my aim improved substantially. The Ares kids, devilish grins stretching their faces like masks, chuckled and pulled the arrows free. They tossed them to me from all angles, leaving me to grumble and huff as I plucked the bronze-tipped projectiles from the grass.

Austin clapped. "Again! Two more times!"

We did have two more rounds. The second was more energetic and enthusiastic than the third. By the time I shot the last arrow, all but one of the Ares kids were complaining and whining, and I was ready to hibernate for a century. My biceps and triceps screamed at me to stop. My legs felt like Jello with skin. My hands felt raw and torn down to the bone.

Austin sighed in sympathy, handing me a little flask of nectar to heal faster. "I'll tell Tlatoany about this session. Hopefully, he'll have a more convenient and accessible way to use this new technique." I took a few sips of the nectar by waterfall and handed the little bottle back to him.

I heaved myself towards the weapons table, and, after putting up the bow and arrows, trudged to the Hermes cabin, waving lifelessly at Austin during my departure. I was too tired to even speak, but he calmly shouted goodbye when I left.

My friends let me rest while they babbled on about random shit. Oh, that was the best nap I'd had in ages.

Of course, it was ruined by the realization that I still had to get up and do other things. Still exhausted to the bone and unwilling to care about anything, I forced myself to stand and walk towards Connor, who laughed at my misery. Jackass.

Despite his mockery and cruelty, Connor greeted me with a giant, warm hug and a ruffle to the top of my head, which wasn't exactly appreciated, but a sweet gesture.

"Hey, shortie."

"Connor, I will literally gut you like a fish. Cecil and Will have already called me that today. I'm not that short, you know," I grunted. He simply laughed and shrugged.

He released me, and we walked along a little path along the backs of the cabins. "Not my fault it's such a popular nickname for you. Anyways, what's up? Any reason you came to talk? I'm pretty sure you're not the type of person to talk to others just for the sake of conversation."

Exhaling slowly, I responded in the most inconspicuous tone possible. "Um, I wanted to ask if you have any updates on the Hope situation. It's been pretty quiet this week."

A bite of a lip, a whistling inhale, and a sigh later, he replied. "A few. Um. It uh, it talked to someone else too."

I choked on air.

"What are you talking about? Connor, what do you mean? I thought I was the only one who could…"

He shook his head, his face once again steel and stone. "Your friend from Ares. Tlatoany Castillo."

My eyes glazed over as I tried to imagine that. I looked up at my oldest friend from Hermes. "Why was he even anywhere near that thing?! What if it hurt him?!"

He grunted. "I thought the same thing. But he was just like you. He started mumbling in some random language to it, voice all soft and breathy. The necklace forced him into the same kind of trance it forced on you. Probably, that's the only way it can speak to you guys. But his interaction was different. Less formal, compared to yours. It was so much more familiar and close."

My entire face contorted into worry and disbelief. "Is he okay?"

Connor nodded, rubbing my back. "Relax, kiddo. He's perfectly fine. Go talk to him after the next activity, okay? Or just invite him there. It's arts and crafts, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind joining you if he has a free hour."

Slowly, I ran my nails along the handle of Enestos, listening intently to the soft purr of the leather.

The son of Hermes grasped my shoulders and smiled, understanding flashing in his eyes. "Go check on him. You're getting a lot of leeway this week, clearly." I beamed, hugging him tightly, and sprinted off, knowing my best friend at that point was probably hanging out at the Arena.

To my great surprise, amusement, and worry, Tlatoany was there. The worry wasn't that he was at the arena. I thought him the best fighter in all of Camp. The arena was his domain. No, what worried me was the fact that my best friend spent the last hour (most likely) intensely sparring Nico di Angelo with actual swords, neither of them wearing any armor of any sort. Not only that, but both had elected to not wear any shirt. They looked really stupid, but also really scary.

They looked stupid because their hair kept getting in the way: Nico's sideswept bangs fell into his eyes no matter how often he pushed them aside, and Tlatoany's flowing locks constantly wrapped around his arms and neck every time he moved.

However, my lack of energy and patience forced me to figure that I'd have more fun sitting and watching them spar like a TV show rather than anything else.

So that's exactly what I did. I walked to one of the seats along the wall beside the entrance and plopped down, watching the two phenomenal swordsmen duke it out. Nico's style remained the same as the first time I saw him fight. Fast, rough movements always in a forward direction. Clawing, slashing, keeping his opponent dominated at any given moment. But not completely dominated in this case. Tlatoany fought more impressively. Wherever Nico attacked, the son of Ares was already blocking or making a counterattack. Nico never made a move that Tlatoany didn't expect. It was as if the younger teen knew what the son of Hades would do even before Nico himself knew. The match lasted another half hour before it ended in a tie, Nico's sword to Tlatoany's neck as Tlatoany's pressed up against Nico's stomach.

My hands slowly pushed me up from the chair, and I approached the two, grinning and clapping like a fool. My voice was weaker than I wanted it to be when I spoke. "That was easily the coolest thing I've ever fucking seen."

Nico laughed broadly, tossing his head back and exposing the flesh of his neck, down which drops of sweat streamed. He stepped back a few feet and shook his head, drops of sweat flying off of the dark, saturated locks. Tlatoany smiled and tilted his head down toward me, pressing his right cheek to mine in our usual greeting. "How long have you been watching? Are you just here to stalk me, Anusha?"

I gave a shark grin. "What? Nooo. What makes you think that?"

He rolled his eyes and smacked the back of my head gently. "Annoying. Can you get me some nectar? It's in a thermos in a duffel over there," he requested weakly while pointing to a wooden bench leaned against a wall adjacent to the entrance. On that bench sat a large gray and blue duffel bag that seemed mostly empty. Nodding, I hurried over to it and rummaged through the bag, shuffling around for the thermos he mentioned.

I grabbed a little soup thermos, barely big enough to hold one small bowl of soup. I really hoped that was the one he wanted. Along with that, I grabbed a sepia towel that seemed it was shoved in there at the last minute as an afterthought.

Upon returning to my friend's side, I discovered Nico had done the same thing, getting for himself a towel and a cold water bottle.

Tlatoany reached for the thermos, unscrewing the top and bringing it up to his mouth. "Wait, is that just for you to drink?"

He gave me a look that made me wonder if he thought me stupid. "What else would I do with it?"

I huffed. "If it's for your injuries, no need to waste all that. Give me the thermos, bro. I have an idea." I could tell he didn't want to go along with whatever experiment I'd created in my head, but gave me the thermos out of sheer curiosity. He reluctantly let me lead him to the same seat I watched the sparring match from and sat down.

"What now?"

I grinned. "Observe." I took a section of the towel and twisted it into a little bulb kind of thing before dipping the end into the nectar. I could see Tlatoany's heart shatter upon seeing me put a towel in the clean godly drink. I could only laugh. I pulled up a nearby chair and started tending to the cuts on his shoulders and arms and torso by dabbing the nectar-soaked ball of towel on the wounds.

Tlatoany hissed at first but sighed in relief. "Okay, I take it back. This isn't such a bad idea," he admitted with great difficulty. Smiling, I continued soaking the end of the bulb in nectar and then pressing that spot to his wounds. In five minutes, his skin was clear of any open injuries and bruises. I stood to take the thermos back to the duffel bag, stopping when I felt him grab my hand. I raised an eyebrow and turned around to look down at him. He smiled. "Thanks."

"No biggie. But you keep the towel. Maybe it'll come in handy." I patted his shoulder and dropped off the thermos before returning and sitting behind him on the benches that were a foot or two above the ground. I marveled at the giant rat king's nest that was his hair.

I teased, "Your hair is such a mess, dude. That must be so annoying for you. C'mere. Let me show you a good way to tie it up."

He sighed. "I don't have a hair tie."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't need one for this. Lean back. Come on."

Begrudgingly, he leaned backwards against my legs, letting me comb through his long, charcoal locks with my fingers.

He kept moving around, though, and that made things way too difficult. "Stop moving! Seriously, do you want to be free or not?!" I hissed.

He growled. "It hurts, you asshole."

Out of desperation, I wiggled my legs out from behind him and instead placed them in front of his torso and shoulders, forcing him to remain in place with the backs of my legs and my ankles. "Now stay put! Jesus. So whiny."

Once most (but not all) the knots were untangled, I quickly braided his hair tightly.

"First part, comb. Second part, braid. Third part, bun," I dictated while beginning each part. The braiding was easy. The bun was hard because his hair was very stiff and unhappy to move. But, as gross as this is, the sweat made the follicles a bit more flexible. I held the source of the braid with my middle finger and thumb and twirled the rest of the braid around it in a tight-ish coil. I tucked the end into the middle loop and pulled it out so it hung free, but kept the rest in place.

"Ta-da! It's done! Just those three steps. Comb, braid, and bun. It's pretty easy if you practice."

The poor guy seemed shocked at not feeling his hair on the back of his neck anymore, from how much he was touching his neck and shoulders. He gazed up at me for an imperceptible amount of time. "Thank you."

I smirked. "Say that again?"

He pushed at my face. "I hate you."

"Literally impossible, darling. No one can hate me," I retorted. With a roll of his eyes, he reached up and pinched my cheek hard before letting go.

"Just shut up. Anyways, how's that program going? I haven't heard about it yet. I thought it would be awash in Camp's rumors by now." He raised one elegant eyebrow and upturned the tips of his lips in a weird half-smile.

I shook my head quickly. "No, I just got approval from Aphrodite and Apollo cabins today. Well, more from their counselors. I'll probably start lessons on Monday, just to start fresh and clean."

Tlatoany clicked with his tongue in disappointment. "That sucks. Is anyone else teaching, or is it just you?"

"Oh, Mitchell from the Aphrodite cabin, Will, and Lou Ellen from the Hecate cabin offered to help me teach. We're just waiting for Mitchell to tell us which parts he wants to teach, so we can divide amongst ourselves the rest of the program."

He nodded. "Cool. Want me to teach? You said I had to get used to talking to big groups of people too, right?"

I smiled so widely that I thought my face would tear in half. Tlatoany, having turned away when offering his help, looked at me and flinched, slowly stepping backward away from me. His eyes widened when I mirrored him and walked forward. With a yelp of terror, he ran forward without skipping a beat. I trailed him closely, chasing him out of the arena and to the canoe lake, which had everyone laughing their guts out.

"NO! IF I LET YOU HUG ME, I'LL DIE OF A BROKEN RIB STABBING MY LUNG! GET AWAY!" he screamed back at me.

I merely laughed like a maniac and kept following him. "But I'm sooooo proud of youuuu! Come ooooooon! I just wanna give you a hug for catching up and learning so fast! Pleaseeee?"

"_NO!_"

"Just one hug!"

"_GET AWAY FROM ME, DEMON WITCH!_"

I pouted. "That's mean! Now you get twice the hugs!"

This transpired all the way from the Arena to the lake, which should have been a simple ten-minute run but lasted longer because of the constant twists and turns. Fortunately, we grew too exhausted to continue running, so the two of us hunkered down on the docks and watched the lake, our jeans rolled up to our knees to keep them from getting wet. Legs swinging back and forth in the cool, clear water, we kept quiet until it was time to talk.

I started talking but couldn't muster up enough nerve to bring up what Connor had told me. "Um, Austin found a new way to help me get good at archery."

Tlatoany hummed, his gaze locked forward but leaning a bit closer to me to listen better. My lips curved up in an awkward smile, and I resumed. "He uh, he figured that with my instinctual response to projectiles, I probably had to do archery the same way, with instinct. He had nine Ares kids make a big circle around me and toss shields that I had to shoot down. It worked well."

"I'll keep that in mind for training tomorrow morning. Might have to adjust it, since I doubt my siblings will accept me waking them up at like six in the morning."

"Yep…"

An awkward pause.

I groaned and pulled at his arm, making him turn and face me. I whispered in his ear, "Connor said you talked to the necklace. Are you okay? What did it do? What did you talk about?"

He coughed. "Wait, you know about-"

Biting my lip as I leaned back, I bobbed my head. "Yeah, uh. It was on my second day. Connor asked me to confirm what the necklace was. When I touched it, it like, entranced me. It put some kind of spell on me. I went to a counselor meeting where they talked about that thing and had me touch it. I was the only person to not react violently to physical contact with it. I spoke to it. It was a kid. Trapped in the gem by some kind of evil magician. It wanted to go home to its family, but it was stuck."

He looked down at his hands, wringing them together and tapping his wrists. "It, um. It asked me to help it find its mother. I-I think it was a demigod. Maybe a child of a minor deity. It told me that it likes me because I associate myself with you." Tlatoany paused, back hunched and eyes averted. After a minute, he sighed and straightened his back, turning to me once again. "It said that once we found our third, we could go on a quest and help it get out. It warned me that we'd have issues, though. You and me. It didn't say what kind of issues. But it said that we had to go on the quest at any cost."

I stared at him, eyes wide and eyebrows raised. "It told you way more, then."

He nodded.

My eyes wandered back to the lake, and I let myself crumble. Not into tears, no. My mind could only bear so much.

It was hard, all of this demigod stuff. I never had enough strength. As a baby, I couldn't even eat properly for the first few days after I was born because my esophagus hadn't fully developed yet, for some reason. When I was learning to walk, my mother discovered that my knee joints had grown incorrectly, the bones not fitting together properly. When I started elementary school, I couldn't keep up with the other kids when they were running because I was pretty overweight for that age, so I lost a lot of games and friends. When running is the primary game in a group of kids, and you can't run five feet without panting, you get ostracized quickly. The weight issue lasted through all of elementary and middle school.

My daily early morning training with Tlatoany had me shedding pounds like a husky shedding fur in summer.

The constant learning from Nico's sword-fighting classes helped me build a lot of muscle mass because I repeated the techniques more than anyone else.

Always having to run or walk to get where I had to go kept my legs strong and active.

I was getting more physically fit and physically strong. But my mind experienced no change. I was the same weak, sad, terrified little girl I always was.

Tlatoany probably sensed my mental state because he scooted closer and curled an arm around my shoulders, speaking softly. "You are not alone in your fear. I worry every summer that it'll be my last. Fear never ends for demigods. We are never peaceful. But we learn to love that. I haven't yet. And it'll take a longer time for you to love the adrenaline rush. But for now, you're okay. You're safe. Your nightmares drag you down, and your family situation brings you to tears. But you are never alone, Anusha. Never. Okay? The friends you've made here, they are your family. Even I can be your family if you want me to. You have to keep going, though, okay? Don't stop doing what you do."

I couldn't even see from the tears blurring my vision. I lurched forward and tossed my arms around his neck, burrowing my face into the crook of his shoulder. Tlatoany sighed and pulled me forward, reciprocating the hug with great intensity and gentleness. "Hey, it's okay. Relax, _cemanahuatl_. It's alright. Calm down. I'm here, yeah? Keep your mind here. Don't let it wander. Wandering in that aspect gets you hurt."

His words washed over me like the cool caress of the wind in the early morning. While it's true that the consolations didn't exactly fix my entire mood, they did at least help me stop crying and calm down.

I moved back and sniffled, rubbing my eyes. "Th-thanks. I'm not- I'm not used to crying this much. Not even during the school year, and we all know that the US education system is hell." He laughed like the bells of a church.

"I miss my mom so much, but…"

Tlatoany gently set me down in my original spot. I cringed when I realized I'd basically sat in his lap and cried like a dumb damsel in distress. He smiled more kindly than usual and rubbed my tears away, explaining his thoughts. "It's okay to miss her. She's your mom. There's a plethora of reasons she might have hung up. We don't know what happened. Keep in mind that you have a dad too. Even if your mom won't talk to you, I bet you anything that your dad will."

I watched him closely. "When did your dad talk to you?"

He grinned. "My thirteenth birthday. I thought he was a hobo or some monster that got into camp without anyone knowing, so I attacked him. My dad was wearing this weird long black coat and a top hat, like a creeper. He fought back, thinking I just hated him and wanted to kill him. We both calmed down when his hat fell off, and I recognized his eyes. I stared at him like you're staring at me right now. We reconciled. He called me a brave and noble idiot for fighting him. Brave because the only person to fight him and win was Percy Jackson, and that happened years ago. Noble because I fought some random being to defend Camp, not knowing what that being could have done to me. We had a few more words. He stayed to have lunch with my siblings and I, greeting Chiron and Mr. D before leaving again."

So, in reality, Tlatoany had met his father. Albeit, not for long, but he had met him. Connor did too, if only once. Maybe I did have a chance. Maybe my dad would actually talk to me.

Tlatoany turned my face towards him and held it in both hands, squinting and frowning, as if looking for something. "Uh, what are you doing, dude?"

He hummed. "I'm trying to find your smile, but I can't see it. Did you lose it somewhere? Honestly, you're so childish. How can you lose a smile of all things? It's supposed to be _on_ your face, not away from it!" I couldn't help but crack a smile. His attempts at making me feel better really warmed my heart. He grinned. "There it is! Oh man, that was concerning. I thought you lost it somewhere. What a relief. Make sure you keep it on your face at all times so you can keep track of it, yeah?"

I laughed and pushed at his shoulder. "Shhhh, stop it! I'm not a toddler, Tlato. I'm in high school!"

He snickered and rolled his eyes, reaching forward to hug me and press my face to his chest. "People who smile the most usually hide a fuck-ton of problems behind that smile. You're one of those people. Let others help you with your problems, and don't work through it all alone. That's what friends are for, you idiot," he murmured. I sighed, scooting forward to lean into him more comfortably.

"I'll try. I'll at least try," I promised. With a nod and a smile, Tlatoany kissed my temple lightly and pulled back.

"Now, get up. You still have some lessons, and I need to-"

"ANUSHA!" came a scream from behind us.

Tlatoany and I whipped around to search for the source of the noise, discovering little Jonah running towards us at top speed, his little face bright red from the exertion, golden locks falling into his eyes.

I leaped up and ran towards him, frowning. "Jonah, buddy, what's going on?! Why are you yelling?" I finally noticed the tears streaming along his cheeks. My heart and mind hardened. I would crush whoever made my little guy cry.

"Who hurt you, buddy? Tell me!"

He cried through his explanation. It took me some time to understand that he was crying because someone was bullying Emilia. I looked back at Tlatoany, who'd stood and was walking towards us. "Hermes issue?"

I grunted. "Bullying, apparently. Care to join?"

My giant of a friend nodded his silent affirmation. I smiled dimly and turned back to Jonah, who was slowly cooling off. "Okay, honey. Come on. Take me to the situation," I cajoled. I wiped away his tears and followed while he pulled me by the hand behind him.

Jonah led us to the hearth, around which stood the cabins. There, Emilia sat crying on the bench as two boys our age teased and laughed at her. I growled, handing Jonah over to a shocked Tlatoany. I looked the son of Ares in the eyes. "Watch over him. He can manage, but he always needs a guiding hand. I'll take care of this on my own. They're my cabin-mates." Though regretfully, Tlatoany nodded his agreement and sat on a bench near the Ares cabin, speaking quietly to Jonah.

I rolled back my shoulders and pulled together my courage before approaching the group. Most people would start off with a loud, "Hey! What's goin' on here?!" I am not most people.

The boys didn't notice me sneaking up behind them, and so screamed like horror movie damsels when I laid a hard hand on their shoulders. They yanked themselves free of my grip and glared at me. I glared harder, stepping forward and cornering them against one of the benches next to the one Emilia sat on. They stumbled back and sat down hard on the marble bench at their knees.

I internally smirked, relieved that my experience with glaring down creeps and baddies on the Chicago streets actually was of use outside the danger-laden city. "What the fuck did you two say to her? Huh?!" They winced at my tone, still glaring at me weakly in an attempt to retain some of their dignity.

One boy with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes scoffed at my question, rolling his eyes. He ran a hand along the hem of his orange CHB shirt. "This chick got blood all over her clothes. The fuck do you think we said? If she's gonna do that here, she should at least keep clean instead of leaving that mess for others to-"

_WHAP!_

He gaped at me, one hand cupping his now red cheek. The guy stood up fast, hissing through his teeth, "Just wait until Chiron hears about this!"

His friend, who clearly had more brain cells, yanked him back down. "Dude! Shut the fuck up! She just smacked you, dumbass! What makes you think she won't do it again?!"

I huffed. "Listen to your friend, fucktard. He's clearly smarter than you and knows to pick his battles. He's looking out for you."

Once I was sure that the boys wouldn't go anywhere, I sat with Emilia and consoled her until she told me the whole story. I sighed. I thought this kind of period-shaming bullshit only happened in middle school, when kids first start to learn the realities of puberty for themselves. I didn't think it lasted through high school. I smiled warmly and gave her my flannel top to tie around her waist.

I admit, it was a bit cold to have to live in my tank top for the rest of the day, but I didn't mind. "Will!" I called. The blonde hovering at the outskirts of the small crowd only heard me after I called twice and hurried over. I smiled apologetically. "Can you take Emilia to the Hermes cabin, please? I have some menstruation products and a change of clothes in my backpack. They should fit her easily. And maybe escort her to the showers? I don't want her to be alone. I'll come get her when she's done showering," I advised.

"Yeah, hon. I got it. You got things handled here?" he wondered, taking Emilia gently by the arm and pulling her up.

I grunted. "I'll manage."

"If you say so." He shrugged and turned around, carefully leading the tearful young woman to the worn-down cabin I came to call my home. Once Will and Emilia were out of earshot, I moved my attention to the bullies from earlier.

The first one still huffed and rolled his eyes at me.

"You made her cry about a simple accident. You have no idea what it's like to deal with menstruation, and yet you choose to mock someone for it. How shitty do you have to be to act like this?" I snarled.

He snorted. "We did nothing wrong. We told her to clean up and stop leaving a mess everywhere. Not our fault she's bleeding all over the place."

My patience was wearing thin. I wanted them to see the error of their ways, but this one was aggressively unapologetic. I planned to teach them how periods work and all that afterward, figuring it was high time the teen health program began. That would have to wait until these guys apologized to Emilia genuinely and not by force.

"Fine. Let's make a bet, you arrogant brat."

His eyes flicked towards me. I smirked. I had his attention.

"A simple bet. A sparring session. I'll use my knives, you guys use whatever. Two against one. If you win, I'll get on my knees and apologize for hitting you and yelling at you. If I win, you get on your knees in front of Emilia and apologize to her and admit that you're completely wrong and cruel to mock her like that. And, you have to do as she says for the rest of the week."

Hermes kids are infamous gamblers because Hermes is the God of Merchant and Trickery, among other things. If these guys make a bet, they usually win. And if they don't win directly, they get something out of their loss indirectly. And most knew how to pick and choose their battles and gambles because they knew a lot about risk and probability and how to gauge their chances of winning. They had a lot of confidence in their abilities.

I took a big risk, gambling on a two-to-one sword fight against campers who'd been here for a while. But I was not about to let them hurt Emilia like that and get away with it.

The nervous little redhead friend of the arrogant jackass bit the inside of his cheek as the Brunette and I stared each other down.

"Fine. I accept." Unable to say no or back out of the bet due to a need to maintain his reputation, the redhead also agreed. I smirked.

"Good."

I glanced at the bystanders, and they all stepped away, moving to watch from behind the little row of statues established in front of the cabins. I walked backward, pulling my knives out and twirling them in my hands a few times to get used to the weight. The boys pulled their swords from their sheaths when they stood, walking towards me.

My mind disregarded everything for a moment in order to recall everything Nico and Tlatoany had taught me about sword-fighting. How to parry, strike, stab, block, slash, slice, so much more. Once I felt confident enough to apply what I learned, I opened my eyes and glared at the boys.

Tlatoany, who stood closer to us than anyone else from the crowd, yelled out "_HAJIME!_", which means "Begin!" in Japanese.

I lunged at them. My mind didn't exactly go blank, but it kind of fell into a trance, enveloped by the softness of its own peace while my body raged and screeched with its eternal chaos. It was such a weird contrast, to be at peace in my mind but at war outside my body. The boys barely kept up. Even for experienced campers, they fought poorly, barely blocking my attacks and instead choosing to defend. They got a few hits on me, leaving cuts in my arms and heavy blue bruises on my face. Still, my constant offensive strategy served as an advantage, making them too overwhelmed to fight back effectively.

After maybe fifteen minutes of fighting, I'd won, a knife to each boy's neck. All three of us stood in sweat-soaked shirts and tank top, jeans splattered with blood, tattered slightly, and stretched greatly due to the exhaustive movement.

I smirked and sheathed the knives. "When she's at dinner, apologize." They stared at me, nodding slowly with both mouths hanging open like that of a toy nutcracker.

Tlatoany made proud strides towards me, his face shining with his victorious smile. Jonah cheered for me from Tlato's hip. My giant friend pulled me into a tight hug, squeezing me hard enough to break my air circulation. When he loosened up, Tlatoany grinned down at me. "Have I ever told you that you're my best friend?" My heart melted.

"Nope!"

"Anusha, you fool, you're my best friend!" he exclaimed, hugging me again and kissing my temple again. Oh, what a fan-fucking-tastic day.

Sadly, fantastic-ness, as with most shit in my life, only lasted until lunch on Sunday.

Why, you may ask?

Because I got claimed on Sunday.


	8. I Light My Mom On Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s some information about the Nahuatl words I used!
> 
> 1\. Maxtlatl: A loincloth of sorts worn by all Nahuatl males after they turn 13.  
2\. Tilmahtli: A cape worn by non-commoner Nahuatl men. It’s tied about the shoulder by men of higher standing. Men of slightly lesser standing would tie it about the neck.  
3\. Amatl: A kind of paper made from tree bark that is used in Aztec burial rituals.
> 
> This is the website where I found information about the Aztec burial rites:  
https://books.google.com/booksid=ZseasJq3WzEC&pg=PA166&lpg=PA166&dq=aztec+burial+rituals+attendee+clothing&source=bl&ots=-afcXpC306&sig=ACfU3U2uBp1KTkLGBKVYe0VhtDjt48l8VA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjx7eCyu5_nAhXkknIEHc58A-YQ6AEwCXoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

Saturday was possibly the greatest day of that summer so far. Anusha became my best friend, she proved herself as a fantastic fighter, I had made a lot of progress in my lessons, and I was closer with my family than in any previous summer.

Sunday was the worst day of that summer so far.

The morning was great. Anusha got up and did her yoga stuff, joining me later for training. We decided to keep it a little lax because she did so well the previous day. We still did the three miles and push-ups, jumping-jacks, and sword-fighting. But, instead of fighting a monster in the woods, we decided to do archery practice. I would throw a shield at Anusha, who would shoot at it. Later, I thought it would be fun to make her do archery while blindfolded, forcing her to rely entirely on her sense of projectile location. She performed even better when blindfolded, miraculously.

She hated the blindfold part, but was happy about constantly improving her aim and ability. And that made _me_ happy.

The training ended with a light jog to the cabins, where we said goodbye and collected our things before heading to the showers.

We ended up not seeing each other until lunch that day. She had her lessons with Malcolm, Nico, and Jesse, and I had my own stuff to do. Hand-to-hand combat with Mark, foot races with the dryads and the Hermes kids, canoeing. Ugh. They weren't the most enjoyable activities, but I couldn't not go.

Although, I met with Nico and Connor at the Arena for some more sparring later, before Nico had his class. I stayed to watch the class and maybe learn some new techniques.

To my surprise and also not to my surprise, Anusha was a damn good assistant to Nico. She moved and used her wooden practice sword like she was made for it, which somewhat intimidated me.

Yeah, I know. A son of Ares scared of an unclaimed girl with a penchant for being too friendly?

It's also one of the dumbest things I'd ever heard.

However, if there's one thing I learned from being at Camp for so long, it's to never underestimate anyone, especially females.

In nature, females are always more aggressive and dangerous than males. Female black widows eat their mates after intercourse. Female lions defend and hunt for their pride more than the males. Female bears are far more terrifying than males because the females are defending their young, whereas the males are probably defending their territory.

Hell, even in the Greek world, a female monster like Medusa is more feared than any cyclops or giant. Women, though traditionally kinder and softer than men, carry within themselves the rage of eons, having dealt with men's stupidity for eternity. There is every reason to fear a powerful female.

That's why seeing Anusha use her weapon so expertly had me nervous. Even more so with her knives. Only the most skilled fighters used knives, like Annabeth Chase and Piper McLean. And as per my previous rant, both of those extremely skilled fighters are female.

Anusha didn't fight with cunning or trickery or anything like that. No, even when she sparred with Nico or with those asshole kids from the previous day, she used her weapons to overwhelm them so that her victory came easier. She tired out the opponent so quickly that they couldn't fight back.

Not a bad strategy, honestly. But a dangerous one, especially if she herself is already tired.

Still, it made me so proud to see her improving so quickly in just two weeks. I was immensely glad that I met her and helped her.

Nico taught some complicated techniques, one of which I had trouble with. The other students had learned many of the moves and nuances Nico had taught in previous lessons. I was in another class, where Connor was the teacher, so I wasn't really accustomed to the son of Hades' teaching style.

Anusha was different here. This was her domain. She always stood up straight, proud, unflinching, no matter what attack Nico inflicted on her. Her face, usually soft and sweet and smiling, wore a calm and unaffected expression. If one of the students asked her to redo a motion, she groaned, but always complied. Oddly, after Nico explained the new concepts, Anusha was the only one to do them, acting as the sole demonstrator for the class.

And after she'd repeated the motion for what seemed like an eternity, she and Nico would go around answering questions, fixing stances, and reteaching the movements to the students who lined up in two rows, facing one another.

She grinned upon seeing me, greeting me by pressing her right cheek to mine and hugging my shoulders briefly. "Here to watch or to learn?" she questioned curiously.

I shrugged. "Both, probably."

Anusha laughed brightly, rolling her eyes. "Okay. Just call me or Nico if you need any help, yeah? And don't forget to ask your partner too."

Who was my partner? Anusha's friend Jonah, who glowered at me with all the wrath of Zeus. His sweet grey eyes bore into my face almost scarily, tiny features contorted into an expression that left nothing to the imagination. I felt like I hallucinated him hissing at me, "If you hurt her or play with her feelings, I will find you and hunt you down and let Emilia turn you into wet food for the hellhounds, got it?"

Unable to respond to the threat, I nodded mutely, still shocked at what had just occurred.

The first technique was a sleight-of-hand kind of motion that tricks the opponent into thinking you plan on attacking their left shoulder. That way, the opponent will lean left to block the feigned attack so you can barrel forward and then roll down beside their leg and slash their right Achilles heel.

That was easy. It only took me five tries to perfect it.

Anusha had to help me with the second motion, which was a similar, but more difficult move. Instead of moving across a plane (starting left shoulder and moving down to right leg), this technique was across two or three planes.

You start by going for the opponent's back while their front is occupied by a friend. You aim for the small of their back so that they squirm and try to block you with one hand while keeping focused on the person fighting them at the front. Once they're sufficiently disabled, move to the front and roll between their legs. While getting up, hook your leg around their ankle and pull them down.

Anusha demonstrated the move with incredible grace and strength. I felt like the Michelin Man, lumbering awkwardly through the motions. Everyone else learned the technique easily.

I raised my hand when, even after fifteen tries, I still couldn't get it right. Anusha stride over, one hand on her knives, the other raking through her hair. I hated how quickly my brain noted that she looked really good in her jeans and tank top, which displayed the muscles in her arms pressing through her skin. And, as usual, her skin seemed to glow like gold in the light. Her silky hair seemed an inconvenience to her, but she tied it into a braid faster than Tetat ever could do with my hair.

Dark eyes glanced at me with amusement, almost ready to burst with laughter. "The prodigal son of Ares can't get it? What's up, Tlato?"

I sighed. "I can't get this one. I don't know if it's my frame or-"

"Yes."

My hand, which had been pulling at the frayed ends of my shirt, stopped at her voice. "Um, what?"

Anusha chuckled. "Bro, obviously, it's your frame. You're built like a tank. Of course you can't do this one. Not with this group of students, you can't. Tlatoany, you're such a great fighter and teacher. You couldn't deduce that? Not every move is good for every person. Some people have to adjust how they do things. You're easily the biggest guy here. Tall and lots of muscle mass. This move mostly works for people who are small enough to fit between the legs of someone standing normally. You can probably do this well with a monster, but not with these guys. Don't freak. We can practice tomorrow in the woods, okay?"

At first, I thought she was going to mock me for not being able to learn this technique. By the end of it, I felt relieved and reassured that I wasn't pathetic or stupid for not being able to complete this part of the class.

Smiling slowly, I nodded and stood back, watching the others. Nico soon whistled loudly, catching everyone's eyes. "Alright, everyone! Gather around. We're gonna have a little show now. We've all heard about Anusha fighting the Hermes boys yesterday! She and Tlatoany here are gonna demonstrate what a fight between equals looks like, since I'm not really in the mood to deal with another tie from him."

I sighed and turned to Anusha. "We can't get out of this, can we."

Laughing, she shook her head and pulled me up to the stage. "Not with Nico, no."

When we stood on the stage, I could finally see how much respect Anusha really demanded. Everyone watched her closely, eyes wide and hopeful and curious. Nico watched her with an expression akin to that of a brother testing his younger sibling. Everyone else observed her with a friendly and homely respect, like an elder sister.

Of course, Nico held everyone's respect. Ever since most of the Seven, besides Leo, left Camp Half-Blood, Nico became the central force and power-player. Not only with his Underworld powers, but in his sword-fighting ability and leadership. For the last three summers, he led the Blue Team to Victory in Capture the Flag. Actually, whatever team he joined always won.

Anusha had none of that. She had no tether to Camp Half-Blood except that she herself was one. She didn't even know her godly parent. But because of her friendliness and her constant willingness to help people, lots of others constantly looked up to her. The other unclaimed kids, the younger people of the Hermes cabin, and even some of my siblings, who are infamously unfriendly.

She really had a lot of people wrapped around her finger. With a little hum, I realized that that group included me, as well.

* * *

Remember, kids. Your best friend is not your best friend unless they match perfectly with you in a sword fight.

Anusha and I never really gained any advantage over one another. She was phenomenal with her knives. I rarely saw her moves fail. She also couldn't keep up with my strength and my ability to predict her next action. As a son of Ares, that was my only redeemable ability: I could predict what a person would do in battle before they do it. It wasn't like the prophetic ability of the Oracle or the Apollo kids. No, I had to be engaged in a battle to use my ability.

Truly, my unclaimed best friend and I were evenly matched. So much so that we tied, just like I had tied with Nico the previous day. While Nico wanted someone to win, we laughed it all off and went to our next activities peacefully, heading off when Nico signaled the end of the class.

I had used my free hour to stay for the sword-fighting class with Nico, so the next three classes, I had to bear with no rest.

Mark's hand-to-hand combat class wasn't too bad for me. I was used to the whole thing because weaponless combat is a daily tradition in the Ares cabin. I got a few good elbows to the spleen, which left me limping before the next activity. The foot races were much more difficult. No one could keep up with the dryads. I got closer than some of the Demeter or Aphrodite kids, but nowhere near as close as the Hermes kids. Even after that, I had sore feet for hours on end. Thankfully, canoeing was relaxing and calm. We did encounter some rapids when we hit the river, but the rest of the journey flew by like a breeze.

I didn't know how Anusha's afternoon was going, but I could see it when I met her at the entrance to the Pavilion. Her smiles warmer, eyes softer, laughs louder. It was a good day for her.

She yelled happily when she saw me, dragging me over to meet her friends, with whom she walked to go to almost every meal. "Tlato, these idiots are my family. Emilia, who got her apology yesterday at dinner and who calls you pretty last week, Jonah, who hated you in Nico's class today, and Naomi. She's a daughter of Apollo. She was my first friend at Camp. Guys, this is Tlatoany Castillo. He's my best friend!"

Emilia beamed, wiggling her fingers at me in hello. "I haven't forgotten this one, Anusha. Damn, are you giving the scarf to him, or what?" The Indian teenager smacked her friend's arm.

"Shut it, Lia."

Jonah huffed and looked me up and down, eyes narrowed in judgement. Anusha, shockingly, watched his face with worry, dark eyes wide and weak. The young man nodded at her, rolling his eyes. "He's okay. Hello. I'm Jonah. My warning still stands, by the way."

Giggling, Anusha hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek despite his protests. She asked what his warning was, but the kid shook his head.

Naomi smiled warmly, giving me a hug hello. "It's so nice to meet you, Tlatoany. Will complains a lot about you, but Anusha praises you so much, I really didn't know what to make of you. But you seem like a nice guy."

I couldn't even speak, that's how awkward and nervous I felt about having to meet the other friends (more like the family) of my closest friend at camp. But, at Anu's bright grin and cheerful laughs, I relaxed and introduced myself, smiling as kindly as I could manage.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Emilia, if you're going to call me pretty, don't say it in front of others. I have a reputation to maintain. Jonah, I know you don't trust me, but seriously, man. Anusha and I are fourteen, and we've been friends for two whole weeks. I'm not going to hurt her. Naomi, I'd say you probably shouldn't trust their opinions of me, but one of them is your big brother, and the other one is standing right next to me, so I think I'll have to let you judge for yourself. I like living."

I waited for their response.

I winced at the loud laughter from Emilia, Naomi, and Anusha and the loud protests of anger from Jonah, who still didn't like me. Eventually, I joined in, and the five of us stood laughing for almost ten whole minutes.

We walked in and sat at our respective tables. I sensed Anusha wanted to hang out with us all together, but I knew she felt bad for not sitting with the other Hermes kids all of last week. She laughed and joked with them, promising to keep some secrets and mocking others and joining one of the giant betting pools the Hermes kids had been cultivating for four years now.

I soon became so involved with my own siblings and our discussions and teasing that I almost didn't notice the change in atmosphere. Anusha's joyful, amused conversations simmered down to quiet mumbles of worry.

My eyes caught sight of her plate when she moved back to look at something in front of her with shock on her face. I had to squint at first, unable to see what was going on. And then, my stomach churned violently. All of her food, whatever she touched, had rotted. She frowned and stood up, tossing all of it in the trash and sitting down. She smiled when a dryad handed her another plate. She happily picked up a buttered croissant, but yelped and dropped it when it turned black and green in her hands.

At the noise, campers from other tables turned to stare at her. Her own table had gone completely silent, a rarity for the Hermes cabin. She started touching all of the food on her plate and stumbled back in terror when all of it rotted in milliseconds. The plate toppled back with her from the violent movement, some of it falling on her and covering her orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt.

Out of nowhere, a light above her head. Anusha stood up quickly, trying to brush off the decayed food, tears slowly streaking her cheeks from the sheer humiliation. She looked around in confusion at everyone's awe and confusion before looking up above her own head.

Her mouth dropped open, like all of ours did.

A golden sun with twenty-one arrows forming the rays of light glowed above her head. Strangely, to everyone's horror — even Chiron's — the sun glowed with bog-green and bruise-purple, not the usual brilliant yellow associated with children of Apollo.

Anusha looked desperately at Chiron, whose clopping footsteps (or hoove-steps) signaled his entrance. He walked closer and bent one knee in respect.

His voice boomed throughout the pavilion. "A daughter of Apollo, God of the Sun, Archery, Prophecy, Music, Art, Poetry, Healing, Disease and Plague. Hail Anusha Rajachari, the Plague-Bringer!"

All of us got up from our benches and knelt down on one knee, looking up at Anusha's horrified expression.

My heart dropped into my stomach.

My dream was true. My dream was _true_. I had so many nightmares as a demigod. But this was the one dream I hoped had no chance of being real. I hoped she didn't have those disease powers. I hoped she wouldn't have to deal with the terror and torture of a quest. But now…

Anusha didn't let us near her. Naomi stood and tried to go and hug her friend and now-sister, but the newest member of the Apollo cabin shoved her away. Naomi's blood-curdling scream still frightens me to this day. Where Anusha had touched the other girl, Naomi's skin bubbled and hissed and turned a plethora of disturbing colors, from red to yellow to black. Her T-shirt hissed and burned, revealing bright red compressions in her skin under the spots that burned.

The world stopped. Anusha's eyes widened dramatically. Her mouth dropped open. Tears flowed freely from her eyes. Naomi continued to scream and wail, sobbing openly.

Anusha's helpless sobs of regret and worry and fear rang through the space like Naomi's yells. "I'M SORRY. NAOMI, I'M SO SORRY. I'M SORRY."

Before we could help her at all or even stop her, Anusha sprinted out, hands clasped together so she couldn't touch anyone. She kept repeating her apology, unable to think about anything else. Chiron rushed forward and pulled out a flask of nectar, pouring it on Naomi's wounds to try and heal her quickly. He winced and rubbed his temples when that didn't work.

He shouted for Will Solace. Will ran over at top speed, hands already glowing with his healing powers. He told Connor to run to his office and retrieve Apollo's special healing serum.

I'd never seen a child of Hermes run so fast before. Naomi's crying and pain lessened with each second Will healed her.

Unfortunately, I didn't stay long enough to see her heal completely. I had rushed out the moment Chiron told Connor to go get the serum. I was too busy trying to figure out where my best friend had run off to in her guilt-ridden terror. I scoured every place I knew she enjoyed. The hilltop beside Camp's entrance. The Arena. The Hermes cabin. The canoe lake.

After twenty minutes of searching, I found her at the beach, sobbing and burying her hands in the sand to not touch her clothes. I knew from the finger-shaped holes in her T-shirt that any natural-ish thing her hands touched would burn through from the sheer disease emanating from them, whether it was cotton or fruit or tree bark.

"Anusha, are you okay?"

I hurried forward to try and check on her, but she screamed at me to stay away. "I don't know who else I'll hurt, Tlatoany. I can't…I can't trust my own hands. I don't want to hurt you. Please just leave. Go. Try and help Naomi."

She choked back her sobs, only for them to return full-force and shove themselves out of her.

Unable to leave my closest and dearest companion there alone, I moved closer and tried to sit beside her. She kept screaming at me. I finally sat a few feet across from her and watched her sadly.

She sobbed and sniffled, shaking her head. "I can't believe I hurt her…my first friend. She helped me so much, and now…this really is all my fault. She got hurt, and it was my fault. This happens all the FUCKING TIME. All the fucking time…” she mumbled weakly. She looked up at me with that tearful gaze. "I allowed myself to have friends, and this is what happened, Tlatoany. Do you get it? I let myself get close to people, and now one of them is fucking hurt because of me. If she dies…" She let out a wail.

I shook my head vehemently. "No way! Absolutely not! You're a blessing to people, Anusha! You helped Emilia yesterday when those jerks were treating her like shit! You taught me to not hate on myself for not being able to do something that my body physically can't do! You showed me how to open up and let people in! You comforted Jonah when he had nightmares! You spent time with Nico and helped him make more friends after most of his left Camp. You made an entire _program_ just so campers can understand how to make it through this rough time in their lives. You aren't at fault here!"

She scowled terribly, turning her head away. "No one else touched Naomi and hurt her like that. It's my fucking fault, Tlatoany. I don't know why you insist on trying to make me feel good about myself. I hurt her. I got close to people, and one of them got hurt. Who else can I blame but myself?"

Guilt welled up in me. This was not her fault. It wasn't. Not really. Maybe Apollo's, but the gods can't choose which powers each of their children gets from them. If anyone was to blame, it was me. I hid my dreams from her and from Chiron and the other counselors. I kept them a secret. I knew she had disease powers. I knew for a while. I didn't say anything because I didn't think that the dream could ever come true. I didn't even want them to come true. I wanted her and myself to stay safe and not have to deal with a quest, but fate doesn't do what you want it to. Not usually.

So I admitted it.

"Um, not really. This-this isn't really your fault. It's mine," I mumbled.

She scoffed. "Shut up, Tlatoany." I winced. "You're not my dad. You're not me. This isn't your fault."

I frowned nervously and looked at her, pulling at my shirt again. "Um, no. It is my fault. I-I knew you had plague powers…"

She frowned. "How would you have known that? I only learned about them today."

"I had a dream that…" Her eyes hyper-focused on me, narrowed and cold. Terror rose in my chest. "I had a dream where I saw you using your powers. These powers. Monsters would scream and bubble like Naomi's skin did. They would burst into dust seconds after. You used those powers a lot, destroyed a whole army of them in that arena we both saw. You-"

She stood up, grabbing her head. She let out more sobs, clutching her skin with both hands. She looked at me helplessly, still crying, and walked forward, falling to her knees as she screamed and bellowed her pain into the sky.

I covered my mouth with a hand, trying to slow my own tears. My body instinctively fell back and tried to get away when Anusha marched towards me.

If I thought Jonah was scary during Nico's class, Anusha was petrifying now. I could see why Apollo had so few plague-bringers. They really did put the fear of the gods into your heart. She didn't have to do anything except look at me with that wrathful expression and march at me like a soldier, and I was seconds away from shitting bricks.

"You knew." Despite the look on her face, her voice moved me to frightened tears with nothing more than a whisper. "You knew I was a monster and didn't tell me. Why?"

I stood up to try and muster up some courage. "I didn't think my dream was real. I didn't want it to be real. We have to go on a quest in the dream, and I didn't want you to-"

She put a hand up, and my voice cut off. "So you hid from me a fucking _major_ truth about myself just because you were _scared_? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! HUH?!" I'm not ashamed to say I stumbled back a few feet out of fear.

"I didn't think it would come true! What if it wasn't true?! If I told you and Chiron, it would have been a huge false alarm, and I would have sent the entire Camp into a panic for no reason! I can't just put everyone in danger!"

She growled. "This isn't ABOUT. THEM. THIS IS ABOUT ME!" Anusha scowled and rubbed her face, tears now replaced with infuriated blushing. "You had no right whatsoever to hide this from me! Demigods' dreams can come true! You had to tell me, but because of your own stupid wishful thinking and fear, you hid this from me! You put everyone in danger for real now!"

With fear comes adrenaline, and with adrenaline comes anger. "NOT ALWAYS! They don't _always_ come true! I can't just assume every fucking thing I see in a dream will happen! I have a reputation here! I can't become 'the boy who cried Wolf!'"

She sneered at me, teeth bared and eyes like that of a tiger ready to pounce. "_Your_ reputation. Always _your_ reputation! You ever give a fuck about _others'_ safety?! Huh?! Fucking selfish. You're too much of a pussy to go on a goddamn quest that you hide a fucking CRITICAL fact about me, and now a girl is injured and possibly DYING because of you! THIS IS _YOUR_ FAULT! YOU LIED TO ME!"

I shouted back. "I DIDN'T LIE! I kept that hidden out of fear that I would have caused a false alarm and made a fool of myself!"

Anusha screamed now. "LIES BY OMISSION ARE STILL LIES, YOU JACKASS! YOU'RE A LIAR! YOU HID CRAZY IMPORTANT SHIT FROM ME, AND NOW NAOMI'S ON HER DEATHBED."

I just watched her face. I wasn't brave or strong or any other trait associated with sons of Ares. Tlatoany, the helpless, the weak, the pathetic. I was the weakling she proved I was. Just because I worried about having to go on a quest and because I worried about her dying on a quest, I kept a huge truth from her.

Anusha looked at me with the greatest grief, guilt, and betrayal I've ever seen in any demigod. "Just know that if Naomi dies," she started, tears rising again in her eyes, "her blood is on your hands."

I bit my tongue and looked down, fists tight at my sides. "Anusha, please. I can't lose my best friend over a misunderstanding."

She sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. That hurt more than anything else she'd said to me prior. Her eyes now were baleful, like those of a lamb being sent to slaughter. "You still don't get it. This isn't about what you want or need. This is about the collective. And you hurt the collective with your greed, Tlatoany. As for your best friend?" She laughed humorlessly. "She died when she heard that you lied about what she could do."

My heart shattered.

She turned and walked towards a huge rock that looked down on the rest of the beach from its perch next to the hills perpendicular to the coastline. "Goodbye, Tlatoany Castillo. Do not let me find you here again. And keep everyone else away too. I may hate you, but I don't want to kill you."

I walked out of there, defeated, heartbroken, ready to give up everything and run home to Tetat. I didn't want to be there anymore. I encountered Will, Chiron, Connor, and Nico on my way towards the Pavilion.

They gazed at me with worried, confused faces.

My cheeks streaked with tears of guilt, disappointment, shame, and heartache, I shook my head at them. "She won't see anyone. Not now. I doubt ever. Don't waste your worries. She doesn't want anyone there."

Chiron rested a hand on my shoulder, dark eyes searching my soul. At least, that's how it felt. "My boy, she is a danger to herself and to others. She needs help and comfort. She's frightened and lost and fearful. We must help her."

I sighed. "Whatever. Go try for yourselves. She doesn't want me anywhere near her. I know that without a doubt. Don't say I didn't warn you."

As I trudged back to the Pavilion, the four adults sprinted to the beach. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. The usually aloof and cool-headed son of Ares returned in tears after his best friend, the plague-bringer daughter of Apollo ran away. In fifteen minutes, they returned looking just as disappointed and saddened as I felt. I couldn't eat. I didn't want to. Food felt like a waste. In the end, I only ate because Kayda guilt-tripped me into it, saying I wouldn't do well in my activities unless I ate.

The day was a blur. I went through the activities mindlessly. I did what was asked. I performed almost perfectly. My heart and mind, however, were in the shredder. I never actively participated in anything. Not with full concentration or intent.

My best friend in camp and in the whole world, frankly, had pushed me away. Had pushed me out of her world. She hated me. She said it, actually. She hated me. I hated me too. I hurt her so badly. I made her feel however she felt. I made her think she was a monster. I did this. I did this. I did this.

No matter how many times my brothers and sister reassured me, I couldn't be convinced otherwise. I hurt my best friend, and now she wasn't my best friend anymore. I didn't eat dinner that night. I didn't go to Capture the Flag either. I stayed in the Ares cabin.

* * *

I skipped lessons the next morning. I did go to lunch, but I only ate the bare minimum. I went to more lessons and then went to bed.

After that day, I only woke up to go to the lessons that happened before dinner and then went to bed.

After that day, I stopped going to lessons altogether. I only ate when I thought I would die of hunger. I only drank when my throat felt like the Atacama. I only went to lessons when Sherman or Kayda dragged me out of the cabin.

Eventually, even they got tired of having to make me go everywhere. I stayed inside more and more.

James brought me food. Kayda brought me water. I only ate if I thought I was seconds away from death. If not, I ignored it altogether.

I don't know how long I lived like that. Maybe a week? Two weeks? Three? I can't remember.

Probably just a week.

Because I remember that one day, when I was sleeping, Mark woke me up.

* * *

He and I never got along. Ever. He never wanted to deal with me this early in the morning. I only knew it was morning because of my watch.

Mark, for the first time, woke me up gently, with kind words and sad eyes.

"Tlatoany, buddy. You gotta get up, man. Please, little brother. Wake up. You have a guest. Your Pop's here."

I frowned and cleaned my head back to look at who was in the doorway, letting in all that light. My eyes widened when I saw Tetat, adorned in full uniform.

I jumped out of bed and slowly approached him, as if he were a figment of my imagination. Tetat's eyes broke into tears, the rivulets streaming over his high cheekbones. He shook his head. "This isn't you, Tlatoany. I would prefer to give this to you when you are yourself, but…I can't hold onto this without telling you."

He switched on a desk lamp and set down his giant backpack on it, opening it carefully. He pulled from it a simple white envelope and a trigonal prism-shaped clear case with an American flag inside it.

He held the flag case in his hands, placing the envelope on top. I peeked at it, my heart thumping when I saw it was addressed to me.

I knew what this was. I knew what happened. I knew this process. I didn't want to believe it, though. I didn't want to think that was true. I couldn't. I had no choice but to take the case and envelope into my hands. Tlatoany looked at me and stepped back, giving me a strong salute. Sobbing and quivering, I fell to my knees and clutched the case and envelope to my chest.

Mark saluted Tetat. The two of them joined me on the floor. Tetat coiled me up in his embrace. Mark rubbed my back and let me cry into his neck. We cried together, the three of us. The three of us knew this pain. We knew this struggle. This was the curse of Ares. He finds love on the battlefield, my father. When he finds love, he brings it to safety. He nurtures it for some time. And when it's ready to be alone, he flies away. Love, unable to go anywhere else for comfort, returns to the battlefield and dies there, only to be reborn in the form of another woman he will love. This always happens.

This is why so many children of Ares end up with only him as a parent, losing our mothers. Our moms usually pass away as a result of loving war as much as war loves them.

Mark's mom was a naval officer. She died during a pirate raid in the Indian Ocean six years ago. Tetat's best friend was a son of Ares named Hawthorn, who died a Navy Seal. He was given a bunch of honors upon his death. Hawthorn's family sometimes visited us in Arizona, even though they lived in Oregon.

My mom joined the army. I only saw her once every six months. Unfortunately, she was active duty and was sent to Iraq. I sometimes saw her on video chats via Skype, but rarely. If I'm being honest, I don't remember what my mother's voice sounded like. I know what she looked like, but I can't remember how she sounded. In fact, every time I tried to imagine her voice, Tetat's voice is what comes to mind.

That day, I truly lost track of time. I didn't ever know what time it was. Mark often took care of me, leaving food and water on my table. He always brought me something new, figuring I would want some change in smell, since I never actually ate the food. I slept with the flag case beside me at all times. I kept the envelope guarded with my life. My sword always remained in my bed, in case someone tried to take my last reminders of my mother.

* * *

I don't know what day it was that the door to my cabin opened. My brothers and sister pulled me down from my bed forcefully. They cajoled me and hugged me, saying something about burial rites and Anusha.

I flinched at hearing her name. I couldn't even say the three syllables. It was like poison in my mouth.

Mark pulled me to the showers and forced me to get clean. My eyes burned from the sunlight bearing down on me. My face hurt from the expression I wore. I hadn't used those muscles in weeks. My heart ached from being apart from my mother's memory.

My least favorite brother made me brush my teeth and then ushered me into the shower, washing my hair for me and scrubbing my face and back. He handed me a bar of soap and warned that if I didn't clean myself, he would let Kayda do it.

I knew from personal experience that Kayda, soft angel she is, bathed people like her grandmother did. Her grandmother had hands of sandpaper and a glare that would send my dad into crying fits.

The fear had me scrubbing and dubbing like never before. I came out clean and fresh. Mark wrapped me up in a robe and took away the towel I'd wrapped around my waist. "Come on. Back to the cabin." I shivered when the cool breeze hit my wet skin and hair. He pulled me into the Ares cabin and dried my hair off quickly, settling me onto a bottom bunk while he laid out the clothes I had to wear.

I frowned tiredly at the sight of the Nahua clothing. I looked at Mark, who busied himself with a tablet held in one hand. My eyes spotted what looked like diagrams about the clothing I was to wear.

Once I was completely dry, Mark and Sherman turned away to let me put on my underwear and a pair of tights the same color as my skin. Once I'd done that, Mark tied a _maxtlatl_ around my waist. It had flaps that were definitely much longer than the traditional length, but I'm quite sure that was for the sake of modesty. Sherman wore a warm, saddened smile on his lips as he tied the _tilmahtli_ around my neck, letting it drape over the right side of my body. Mark walked behind me and brushed through my hair, gently tugging free all of the tangled strands. He massaged coconut oil into my hair before weaving it up into a French braid.

Kayda stepped in, smiling with heaven behind her sweet brown eyes, as usual. Her hair was a bright pink now, almost prettier than the electric blue I saw last. She walked forward and started covering me in jewelry. After a little while of her work, bangles covered every inch of my arm until my mid-forearm. Five necklaces, all of red jewels, hung on my neck. Two rings with red gems were forced onto my hands, one ring per hand. Even my hair wore little pins tipped with pearls at the end.

My three siblings smiled proudly after stepping back to get a good look at me. They nodded and high-fived one another.

Before I could ask what was going on, they pulled me outside, where everyone stood in a giant circle near the base of Half-Blood Hill.

They brought me into the center of the circle, where Anusha and Nico stood around a funeral pyre, a long silken cloth of white lay over the pile of wood. The head of the cloth faced the sun, which just began to rise over the top of the hill. Elaborate Nahua decorations and designs adorned the cloth, which bore these two simple words.

_ **Amoxtli Castillo** _

The name of my mother burned my eyes, and my crying restarted after weeks of emotionless contentment. I covered my eyes with one hand and tried to calm down. I was outside. I was freshly cleaned and clothed. I couldn't let that all go to waste.

I pulled myself together and wiped away my tears. My eyes took a slow look at everything and everyone. Each person wore something different, every camper wearing the clothes of their culture. Some wore black suits and ties. Some wore pure white which made the person almost glow in the sun. Some wore long robes of red and gold. Others wore simple gowns of blue. Nico wore a black chiton and a crown of black metallic ivy.

And Anusha?

Anusha wore an Indian dress of pure white and deep gold. A _sari_, I think? It's usually an incredibly long piece of fabric, the end of which is a sash thrown over her left shoulder and left to hang there. The front had a complicated set of pleats that hung to her knees. She tied down the end of the sash with a golden belt around her waist. Bracelets embellished every inch of her wrists, and necklaces of red gems and gold rested over her chest. Her hair was braided tightly and then coiled into a bun wrapped with a bundle of white flowers. Dark eyes that stared sadly at me like the void of space now glimmered with speckles of gold that didn't exist the last time I saw her. Even her face seemed to shine with the golden undertones brought out by the makeup covering her skin. It felt like I was looking at the sun itself.

She met my eyes, and tears fell from hers. She was so dolled up. We all were so dolled up. All for what?

We started walking and met halfway. We held onto one another before our faces met one another's shoulders. She clung to me with more force than I thought possible. I think I possibly dislocated one of her vertebrae. But I didn't care. Neither of us did. We were too happy to be near each other again.

She pulled back and wiped away her tears. I sniffled through mine. "Isn't that a bad idea?"

She shook her head. "Aphrodite cabin's work. This stuff won't come off. I'm gonna look like this forever. What a curse."

We laughed through the tears. Still sniffling, I kissed her forehead. Still crying, she kissed mine. I rubbed my eyes and smiled weakly down at her. "What's this about?"

Anusha rubbed at her tears and smiled back at me. "Funeral rites for your mother."

I pulled back quickly. "W-What…?"

She nodded and sighed. "I um...I was in the same slump you were. I lived off of ambrosia and nectar. That was the only stuff I couldn't decay with just one touch. Mark came and told me your mother died in combat. We made peace. I wanted to do her funeral rites, since I know you still follow the Nahuatl way, and you and your dad might not be able to do it the way it has to be done without help. Nico asked his father for this favor and let her body be brought here. The mortals don't know. Even your Tetatzin is here. He's in the crowd. Lord Ares will be here soon, once Nico begins the ceremony. Nico's doing the rites. I'm the master of the ceremony. I don't know if you have to be one too since I didn't have that specific information about Nahuatl culture, but we don't have the resources to do all of this perfectly, and we've mixed a lot of the cultures already."

My soft sniffles erupted into loud sobs. I pulled her into my arms and hugged her as tightly as I could. She sighed and let me hold her until I was ready to begin. Anusha smiled and kissed my cheeks, rubbing away the last of my tears as she took hold of a chain from which hung a little vessel that contained the incense.

She sniffed a few times and stood at my mother's feet. Nico stood at my mother's head. I stood at her left side. In seconds, I felt my father's presence in the crowd. I turned to my right and saw him standing at the edge of the crowd, at a diagonal from Anusha. We locked eyes. He gave me as gentle a gaze as he could with his fiery eyes and smiled. I nodded hello and smiled weakly. The sight of his deep red and black chiton soothed me a little.

He snapped his fingers and the long silken cloth suddenly disappeared, now under the body of my mother. I bit my tongue to stop the tears.

Anusha set down the incense container, and Lou Ellen handed her a stack of bark paper called _amatl_ that she cut into pieces with her dagger. She placed pieces of the amatl all over Mom's body, covering every inch of the elaborate dress and jewels and embellishment. Lou Ellen then brought a plate of what I presumed were Hindu religious supplies. Anusha took a pinch of turmeric, which she added to an earthen pot full of water.

When the daughter of Hecate stepped away, my close friend poured the pot of water over my mother's head. She emptied the pot and was handed a new pot of water, which she left near the head of the pyre. Anusha held the last piece of amatl in her hands and cut it into four pieces, setting them in my mother's cold, unmoving hands.

Anusha began speaking, in English, to my mother, explaining how to use the amatl in the afterlife as she fitted each piece into Mom's hands. She stepped back, and Lou Ellen set a small pile of clothes at Mom's right, which Anusha set alight with a match and striker.

I recognized every step of the ceremony, whether or not I wanted to.

Ares looked at Anusha, who bowed her head at him. He nodded and snapped his fingers again, and an undead dog of golden fur sprouted up from the earth, clawing its way out of the dirt. The dog barked and snarled with inhuman anger, but Anu didn't even seem perturbed. She grabbed her other dagger and stabbed the undead creature in the neck, waiting until it stopped moving before placing the corpse at Mom's feet.

Ares breathed and made a military-grade automated rifle and household items like an apron and a baby's bottle and a broom appear in his hands. He set the gun on mom's right and placed the broom, baby bottle, and apron on her left. He sighed sadly as he created a little wreath of gold and steel in his hands, placing it on Mom's head.

I walked closer at his motion of request. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me into his side. I broke down.

The god of war seemed so much more human then. His eyes were wet. His smile was broken. His face, usually proud and brash and eager for bloodshed, seemed shameful and heartbroken and unable to comprehend its owner's pain.

I finally took a good look at my mother. I couldn't recognize her. But I knew the markings on her hands from years of cooking and cleaning. I knew the upward tilt of her left eyebrow, always held up in amusement at something I said, and I knew the smirk lines in her right cheek. I knew the gruff square of her shoulders and the sweet slope of her cheeks. I knew the kind wrinkles of her nose, usually scrunched up in dismay at something her idiot boyfriend said. I knew the smooth curve of her hairline and the streaks of age in her forehead. I knew the flashes of grey in her hair, recently wet from Anusha's part in the funeral. I knew the balding area in front of her right ear, where she kept pulling her hair behind her ear too tightly when nervous.

I knew this woman, but at the same time, I didn't.

I placed one kiss to each area of her face and whispered my goodbyes. I told her everything that had happened to me since the last time I saw her. I told her my hopes and dreams for the rest of the summer and for the rest of my life. I told her everything I could before I had to say goodbye for real.

Ares didn't do any of that. He placed one hand on her forehead and kissed her cheeks, his eyes welling up with tears as he stroked her face one last time. He promised something to her that I couldn't hear and kissed her lips. I thought that was gross, but I didn't really care that much.

The two of us stepped back, each taking one side of mom. Me on her right, him on her left.

Nico began speaking in Nahuatl, half-singing the hymns for Mom's safe passage into the afterlife. Anusha held the vessel of incense again, eyes and nose red from the crying she'd done. A weight lifted off of my shoulders. I don't know how. I didn't think it would happen so fast. But I felt okay. I would be hurt and heartbroken for weeks. But I would be okay.

At the end of Nico's portion, Anusha said her part to Mom, again whispering to her. I don't know what she said, but I swear, I thought I saw my mom's lips curve up in a half-smirk after Anusha said her goodbyes.

Lou Ellen handed me a long stick, covered in oil at the end. Anusha lit it with the matchbox like earlier. She smiled gently. "In India, the family member always lights the pyre." I nodded dumbly and took a deep breath before walking forward and lighting a corner of the silken sheet on fire. I didn't want to burn my mother's body first.

I set the burning stick with the other sticks that held up my mother's body.

When I stepped back, I almost tumbled, paralysis and heartache finally settling in my chest. Anusha and Ares caught me, keeping their arms around me. Tetat joined us a second later, pulling me into a tight hug. The four of us watched and mourned with our silence. Some other campers mourned aloud. We didn't mind.

After all, a funeral should be a time to let out woes.

Who were we to deny people that?

* * *

Everyone left in groups. Anusha and I sat alone on that beach where we last spoke. Ares and Tetat spent time talking to Chiron. My siblings waited for me in the Ares cabin. All of the other campers hung out with their friends for the rest of the day.

Anusha and I sat three feet apart, unable to move closer due to our terror of having to talk about what had happened between us.

"You got ahold of your powers, yeah?" I dared to speak first.

She didn't respond at first, and I realized she was lost in thought. "Hm?" She turned to me, and her eyes widened. "Oh, uh. Yeah. I did."

I nodded, looking away as I rubbed my neck. "Cool, cool."

"Yep…"

"How'd you manage that?"

She smiled shyly. "I had a lot of help. Will, Leo, and Lou Ellen worked together to make these gloves for me that blocked my powers entirely. I was okay. I just wanted to ignore them. But I got a visit in my dreams from my half-brother, Asclepius, the god of medicine and doctors. He convinced me that I had to learn to master my powers, not just hide from them. I owe everything to my friends and family. I wouldn't be this okay without them."

I smiled and sighed. "I really am glad to hear that you're okay. Last I saw you…let's just say I've never been so terrified of a nice person in my entire life."

She laughed like music, and my heart ached again. "Wow. Not sure if that's a compliment, but thanks. And Tlato, I'm not nice." I coughed weakly at hearing the nickname. "Well, not after that day. I was cruel. I was angry. I became the monster I never wanted to be." Her laughs became helpless sighs.

What could I say to that? 'Yeah, you're right. You were a fucking asshole that day!' I wanted to make amends, not burn bridges.

"You were only a monster as much as I created that monster. I hid things from you that I shouldn't have. I hurt you and made you feel like you couldn't trust anyone, that's why you shoved people away. Yeah, your powers are dangerous, but everyone would have found some way to hold them back. But I made you hate people, and that was wrong on my part. I did it for our sake. I did it because I was scared and because I wanted to avoid a quest, but it did more ill than good. I'm sorry."

I scooted over halfway. She smiled at me.

"I did plenty wrong, too, that day. I judged you without hearing you out. I called you a lot of things that are hurtful. You did lie, but I didn't have to hurt you to make my point. I was so angry that you didn't tell me something so important, and I was so afraid of my own powers that I lashed out. I made you feel alone. I left you to mourn your mother's loss with no support system and no one to lean on. I'm sorry."

She moved over an equal distance, and I smiled at her.

I rubbed my eyes. They were probably redder than a lobster by then. "Truce?"

Anusha rolled her eyes and hugged me tightly, burying her face in my neck. "Peace treaty, you idiot."

I sighed in relief and returned the hug with twice the strength. She smiled into my skin, and it felt like being born again. "If you ever leave me again, I will hunt you down, do you understand?" My voice sounded so fragile, like the threads of a spider's web.

She laughed. "Fine. But if you lie again, I will gladly find you and whoop you and make you sleep in a rotten bog and then ask Kayda to give you a bath." I could hear the tears in her voice.

My shoulders shivered before I could stop them. "Why does everyone have to threaten me with flaying by Kayda? That's cruel and unusual punishment. You all are shitty."

She snorted at that, rolling her eyes. "Shut up. Come on, we both need breakfast."

I yelped when she pulled me up with ease. My heart soared, and I smirked. "Have you been keeping up with training all this time?"

Anusha gave me a look like I was the dumbest person on the planet. "I'm the best student around, Castillo. Of course, I'm keeping up with training. Who do you think I am?! I have a reputation to maintain, you know!"

My groans made her laugh way harder than necessary. "A demon child."

She winked. "Oh, my darling idiot of a best friend, I'm the Devil in disguise. I'm no ordinary demon child. Now hurry up. My stomach won't wait for anyone if food is nearby," she warned before sprinting away at high-speed. The clinking of her anklets was the only way I could keep track of her.

I could feel people's eyes on me as I ran. They were invisible to me. The only thing I saw was the slight, but strong frame of Anusha running away from me and towards the pavilion. She got cheers and loud hellos from her friends and family, all of whom sat at the Hades table. She waited at the entrance until I caught up to her, pinching her arm to get her attention when I was too out of breath.

She frowned and turned to me, taking my face into her hands while looking me over critically. "You really spent forever in Ares, didn't you? Oh, Tlatoany…" that tone of voice once again left me shivering. This time, out of guilt. She kissed my forehead and pressed her right palm to the center of my chest, mumbling something under her breath. My heart rate spiked, and the heat of her hand on my bare chest almost burned, and I could feel the sun in her flesh. Slowly, my panting died away, and my exhaustion and muscle fatigue melted into nothingness.

She smiled softly and pulled back. I beamed. "Seriously, how much did you learn to do without me knowing?"

Shaking her head and chuckling, the daughter of Apollo strode forward towards the Hades table, leaning down to greet everyone with hugs and kisses. I quickly followed.

Literally half of the table's occupants leaped up and rushed me, burying me in hugs so tight and so strong that I would have died had Anusha and Nico not dragged me away from the others.

It was a breath of relief to sit with everyone again. The table was completely full. Connor, Nico, Will, Mitchell, Naomi, Emilia, Jonah, Kayda, Mark, Sherman, Lou Ellen, Cecil, Anusha, and me. I don't know how all of us even had space for ourselves, but we did. To some people, this would seem overwhelming. An unbearable flow of information and mental stimulation.

For me? This was home. This was comfortable. With my idiot best friend at my side and my friends and family around me, I was at peace.

Peace isn't an easy thing, mind you.

Peace still requires a lot of patience and determination and discipline. You need to work to maintain peace in your life. For some people, it comes easily. Like Kayda, who for a daughter of Ares, is the personification of peace.

For others, peace is a fickle pet that doesn't want to be coddled. Like Anusha, whose sunny disposition and warm behavior don't really associate with peace and comfort. No, she's chaotic. If Will is the afternoon sun, stable and steady, and Naomi is the rising sun, hopeful and determined and ready for a new day, Anusha is the setting sun, when the light is most scattered and desperate, clinging onto the last semblance of relaxation before darkness consumes all.

(My boyfriend wants me to tell you to never believe me if I say I'm not a writer. I disagree entirely. I only know how to write all dramatic because of him.)

Still, breakfast was absolutely lovely.

It was the best food I had ever had. On the other hand, I hadn't been eating food for almost three weeks, or so Anusha told me. She hadn't eaten either. Nothing except ambrosia and nectar to curb the hunger. She had also recovered from her slump faster. She ate normally, munching on some grapes while waiting on a dryad to bring her some roasted potatoes and a waffle. I, on the other hand, stuffed my face in an attempt to soothe the ravenous hunger threatening to eat my stomach from the inside out.

Because I ate so much so quickly, vomiting quickly followed. I ran to the nearest garbage can and ripped the lid and swinging doors clean off, Anusha hurrying over upon seeing my distress. While I spent my time heaving into the trash can, Anusha gently held my hair in one hand and rubbed my back with the other, cooing in gentle tones so I wouldn't freak out.

I stood up straight again and panted, closing my eyes tightly when I felt a cloth napkin cleaning off my face. God, I felt so fucking gross. The cloth was so rough on my raw, freshly cleaned skin.

Only then did I realize how much I had let myself go. The napkin moved away, and my eyes opened. Anusha smiled sadly and rubbed my cheek with a free, clean hand. "Buddy, you gotta be more careful. It's been a while for you. Let me guide you through this, okay? You have to slowly get used to everything again."

At her sweet words of advice and slow murmurs, I quickly relaxed and leaned forward, pressing my face into the crook of her neck. "By Ares, where would I be without you?" I croaked.

She let out a breathy laugh, petting the back of my head delicately. "Probably still sweating your days away in your bed like a greasy raccoon with a blanket fetish," she joked. I could only fake-laugh in response.

"You suck," I grumbled.

"Well, you swallow."

I rolled my eyes. "Real mature. Also, I wouldn't want to. That's gross."

She pushed my head away from her shoulder and rolled her eyes, pulling me behind her by the hand. "I am indeed mature, thank you for noticing. And yes. That is gross. Men are nasty. No offense."

I shrugged. "None taken. There's a reason everyone prefers painting and carving the female body. Women are so much prettier."

She threw her arms up. "I know right?!"

Emilia snorted when the two of us sat down. "Anusha, is this your coming out story? Are you confessing your eternal love for me? I was hoping you would make it more extravagant."

Anusha raised an eyebrow, seeming completely unimpressed. "In what world would I confess to _you_, Lia?"

The daughter of Hermes laughed. "This one, obviously!"

"Uh, no. And no, I don't think I have a coming out story."

Jonah hummed, tapping the clicker end of his pen on the table. I noticed the owl-themed details of the clip. A son of Athena, then? "So are you straight?"

Anusha pursed her lips and scrunched her eyebrows together, looking down to her left. "Uhhhh, I don't think so. I mean, I don't think I really like anyone in particular. Love is cool and all, but I don't think I've ever like, had a crush on anyone or wanted to be any kind of intimate with anyone. I dunno, it just seems gross."

Will hummed to himself. "Are you asexual? Aromantic?"

"I don't think I'm aromantic. I love the feeling of romantic love. I like it. I just don't like the idea of sex. Yeah, I think asexual fits. But it may change, so I dunno."

Connor nodded. "Yeah, that's fine. Lots of people change their identity a lot. That's no big deal. What about you, Tlatoany? I've never heard of you liking anyone romantically. I don't think you've ever even talked about people like that."

I flushed dark red. Yes, you can see my blush even under my dark skin. It's faint, but it's there. Anusha was so excited about it, the weirdo.

"I uh, I don't really know. I mean, I had a girlfriend for a month or two in middle school, but that was just superficial. I only said yes because I would feel bad about making her sad if I said no. Not sure if I ever liked a guy romantically or whatever. Maybe I have but didn't notice? I hear a lot of the time that I'm really oblivious, so I don't spend too much time thinking about love."

Cecil fist-bumped me across the table. "Mood, bro. Everyone says I'm so dumb I wouldn't know a love confession if it happened to me, so I ignore it altogether. That's very, very healthy."

He squeaked when Anusha glared at him. "Chill out, doll. Stop drilling holes into my skull!"

I snorted and gave her a look. "Doll?"

She scowled. "Don't you start. These idiots come up with a new nickname for me every five minutes. The last one was atrocious."

Naomi's pout broke my heart. "You said you liked Poisoned Apple."

"I didn't! I said it wasn't as bad as the others!"

Anusha glared at me when I permitted a little snicker to slip through. "It is kinda funny." She mumbled that it wasn't and continued eating, handing me pieces of fruit to eat as she chowed down on her waffle.

I wondered aloud, "What's the worst one so far?"

Anusha's hands flew up to stop me, but Nico was already speaking. "Ratatou-she. Because rats spread the Black Plague all throughout Europe."

Everyone stared at him in various levels of shock, concern, dismay, and amusement.

Will smacked his boyfriend's shoulder. "Great job, Nosferatu," he hissed. The counselor of Cabin Seven smiled softly and took Anusha's hand, squeezing it gently. The two locked eyes for a few moments and spoke after a beat.

Anusha turned her eyes to the ground when I asked, "That's true, though. Why did everyone get so serious?"

She leaned her head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arm around her. She looked up at me and smiled, exhaustion draining the light from her face. "Tlatoany, when Asclepius came and told me I had to master my powers to really figure out how to deal with being a child of Apollo, he mentioned that I would have no help. I would have no one to assist me on how to be a good plague-bringer."

She pulled away and turned to face me. "I am the first child of Apollo to be born with plague powers in almost seven hundred years. I asked Nico if he could help me contact the half-sibling of mine who began the Black Death, but she had no help or advice to offer me. I asked for guidance, only to receive discouragement. I asked as many of my fellow plague-bringers as I could, but none of them have been of any assistance. It's not really trauma. It's just the disappointment that I won't have any help in my journey to figure out how to really maximize my powers to help Camp and to be a good child of Apollo."

I nodded slowly. "Have you tried asking your dad? He created you, right? Maybe he has some ideas on how to handle this stuff."

Will sighed. "Dad's busy with his sun stuff. Not to mention, he's worried that any contact with Anusha will make her powers flare up. Him simply claiming her made her go berserk recently. He doesn't want to take the risk of proper verbal or indirect verbal contact and put the entire camp in danger."

As much as I hated to admit it, the god had given a valid reason to stay silent. Until Anusha really mastered her powers, it would be a hazard for Apollo to communicate with her.

She rubbed her face and smiled. "Yeah, I can't blame Dad for being scared to talk to me. But I know he at least hears me when I talk to him at sunrise. That's good enough for me. He at least acknowledges that I exist, and that's more than I could ask for." I could see the heartache in the wetness of her eyes and the tremble of her lips. She was barely holding herself together. She had no love from her mom, she had no one to teach her to use her powers, she had no contact from her dad, and I'd left her alone for almost a month. My best friend was falling apart, but no one saw it. She really was such a good actress. Even when she had only a few days before a complete breakdown, she still smiled and gave her heart to the world.

I turned to observe her properly.

It was like seeing my mom.

I did and didn't recognize my best friend. Anusha was the same as usual. Skin like bronze, splatters of freckles peeking out from under the left sleeve of her half-blouse, dark bangs falling over her shoulder boldly, the curve of her smile as brash and dramatic as possible, the flecks of gold in her eyes more visible in broad daylight. But the frown lines streaking her cheeks, the scrunch of her eyebrows indicating constant worry, the tightness of her jaw clenched hard enough to break bone. These were unfamiliar to me. She wasn't entirely the same person I had fought with three-ish weeks ago.

She raised an eyebrow when she caught me staring. She tipped her chin down for a second, asking a question without words. 'You okay?' she seemed to be wondering.

I shook my head with a smile, patting her back. 'Nothing, don't worry about it,' I replied. Shrugging, she returned to her breakfast. But I could tell she had something on her mind too. She was thinking about something that drained her of joy and life. I could see it in the slump of her shoulders and the downturn of her smile.

When all of us parted ways, Anusha brought me to the infirmary. Probably, Will had her work there because of her powers. She used them like an expert, identifying the suffering of every person the moment they walk in. She greeted every patient individually, asking how they felt and what they needed. I saw Naomi walk in seconds after we did, clothed in her usual outside wear.

She smiled and had me sit in the little lobby area while she went into the supply closet to change into her scrubs.

She returned in seven minutes exactly, her traditional clothes folded and placed into a bag with all of her jewelry and accessories. Anusha quickly set down the bag next to my chair and pulled me into the infirmary's makeshift ICU.

It was weird seeing her in scrubs with all that heavy makeup on. She'd even taken her hair out of that bun with flowers, her braid laying freely over her shoulder.

The door opened, and I saw a bed with the one person I never expected to see. "He's here?"

She sighed. "Came in last week. I'd just begun coming out of my slump. It was close to midnight, and I was up on the hill to try and get some peace of mind. I saw him and a little girl fighting off a pack of hellhounds. They were struggling severely. I jumped in and killed the four creatures that were still hunting them. The boy killed off two of the original six with no help. But he was injured, and the girl was barely conscious. I brought them into camp. I forcefully took away their injuries and pain since they were seconds away from dying. The girl improved quickly, back to normal with a square of ambrosia. The boy was alive but unconscious."

I sat down on a rolling stool and looked at the boy my best friend and I had been waiting for since the start of summer. He looked nothing like he did in the dream. His facial features and other characteristics were different too.

Light brown hair, cool and fair skin, high features. His high cheekbones and strong jaw reminded me of royalty. Really, his features were perfect. Except, the curve of his lips implied something mischievous. Something clever and dangerous. I looked up at Anusha, whose heartbroken expression did nothing to quell my curiosity.

"Who is his godly parent?"

Anusha smiled, moving to sit on the opposite side of the bed. "Who do you think?"

"Hermes."

She nodded. "He showed up in my dreams, too. He thanked me for trying to save his son. I asked why he didn't claim Reggie yet, but he said that he had his reasons. I let it be. He's been in a coma for ten days now. I tried everything, Tlato. Every kind of way to remove that from his body. Nothing worked. I have no ideas left. If you want to try anything, let me know. I'm his primary healer at this point. Will and the others tried, but they didn't make even a little progress."

Her elbows fell to her knees, and she pressed her face into her hands. Her back hunched over, her shoulders shaking, this was a doctor who had no more tricks up their sleeve. Anusha had given her all in trying to bring this boy — no, to bring our future friend — back to consciousness. You'd have to be blind to not see how much she'd tried to save Reginald.

I sighed and walked around our fallen friend, wrapping Anusha up in a hug. "Let me get back to my siblings, Ares, and my dad, and we'll try something. I might have an idea. Not sure if it'll work perfectly, but it's a possibility. Don't worry. We'll figure something out. He'll be okay."

She pressed her face into my stomach and sobbed, clutching onto my cape. I rubbed her upper back and stroked her hair. "It's okay. It's okay. Shhh, it's okay. Come on. Naomi can keep watch over him. Let's handle the regular patients, okay? I'll be back soon." I kissed the top of her head and pulled her up, making her keep pace with me as we left the room.

"Naomi, can you just keep an eye on Reginald while Anusha handles these guys? She needs to keep her mind off of his situation for a little while. I'm gonna go talk to my family for a bit. I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Sure, buddy! I got things handled. You go ahead," replied the curly-haired healer. Naomi waved and smiled at me as I hurried out, pulling Anusha into a hug.

When I ran out of the infirmary, I understood one thing very clearly.

Reginald, Anusha, and I would be inexplicably forced into a quest as soon as the son of Hermes awoke from his unconscious state.

Our woes would begin with joy.


	9. I See The Girl Of My Dreams

Izzy and I stayed only one more day in the hotel, needing the rest. I had been constantly moving since my birthday, and I didn't want to have to travel again until my little companion and I were refreshed and ready.

The sunlight woke me up before my alarm did that next morning after we first came to the hotel. I was never one to wake up at sunrise, but the windows were so big in this hotel that light was in my face at the start of dawn. Annoying as it was, I recognized that I had to keep going. I didn't know how long it would take for more of those monsters to find me again, and I couldn't take a chance with that since I now had Izzy under my wing.

Groaning pathetically, I forced myself to sit up and rubbed the exhaustion from my eyes, gazing blearily around the room. Izzy whined and tossed an arm over my leg before pressing her entire face into the side of my thigh. I could only laugh at the adorable scene of the tiny girl looking more disheveled and chaotic than possible for someone her size.

But that same simple action sent me into five to ten minutes of panicking. Because I was not the traditionally responsible type of teen. I could wake up and get ready for school on time for the bus without my mom waking me up. I could complete all of my homework in under five hours and still have time for my three extracurricular activities. I could do whatever chores my mother asked of me and do them well. I could make it to any meetups with my friends and treat them all to a great time. I could help my mom with her businesses once in a while if she was too busy. I could even play 'the perfect son' whenever my mother had her rich and fancy guests over for a company dinner or something. I could do all that.

I could not, however, guard and take care of a child. Okay, sure, Izzy wasn't that little. She was a little kid, but not an infant or a toddler. Still, it's not the same kind of responsibility. The chores and stuff I'm used to I could do in my sleep because I've done it so much, but taking care of a kid only maybe six or seven years younger than me? Not really something I had done before.

While I was lost in my thoughts. Izzy woke up and yawned, pushing herself up to a seated position. She squinted up at me with tired eyes and huffed.

She stretched her neck out and pouted, closing her eyes tightly. She reached a hand up and tapped her cheek with her pointer finger, cracking open one eye to glance at me expectantly. I laughed and leaned down, kissing her cheeks. "Good morning, Izzy. Did you sleep well?"

Her eyes flicked open, and a wide smile took hold of her cheeks. She nodded, stretching out her arms before slipping out of bed. Her legs carried her to her backpack, from which she retrieved a set of clean clothes and a thin towel.

I sighed and stood slowly, walking to the window as I contemplated the dream I had the previous night. It happened more and more often every time my mind fell into slumber. It hurt my heart to simply imagine my apparent future friends in pain. I decided that if I ever saw them and met them, I would never let them go, no matter what. My heart would shatter if anything happened to them. I do realize how dramatic and silly that sounds, but like with most of my friends, I love too hard and give too much. It gets me in trouble fairly often, but I can't help how I feel.

Izzy hurried into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, little feet pattering on the wood floors.

My eyes spotted the coffeemaker, and I stepped towards it, wanting to start the day right. I spent the next half hour thinking and wondering about the condition of the two people in my dreams. I worried that the people weren't even real. That really would break me. Dreams can't be trusted, but something told me that this was real.

I looked up at the door when I heard loud knocking. "Housekeeping!" came a warm male voice from outside the door.

I checked my watch, frowning deeply. It was only eight in the morning. Housekeeping only started work at nine, from what I could glean from the work schedule I spotted on a bulletin board behind the receptionist desk of the lobby. Based on that, my mind automatically decided it was some kind of stranger or dangerous individual.

My hand grasped my stopwatch-sword-thing, and I pulled up the clicker, twisted it counterclockwise, and pressed it down again, holding the sword behind my back as I slowly walked to the door and opened it.

A six-foot tall man with deep brown hair and light gray eyes stood before me, his cleaner's uniform almost glinting from how perfectly clean it was. He smiled down at me.

"Hello, sir. I'm here to change out the sheets. May I?" He motioned to the stack of bedding in his arms, gazing at me hopefully.

I didn't let down. "No, you may not. Housekeeping only starts at nine. It's eight right now. Who are you, how did you get into this hotel, and what do you want from me?"

The man's eyebrows raised, and he let out a booming laugh, rubbing away a stray tear as he threw his head back. "Oh man. I really underestimated you, kid. Really. Not bad, actually. Good instincts. You're right. I don't work here. But I do need to talk to you about your family."

I glowered at him, itching to see if I could turn him to dust like I did to that snake woman yesterday. "Excuse me? Also, not instincts. Just simple logic."

He grinned at me, the upward tick of the right side of his lip bringing forth a memory I didn't know I had.

_My mother scowled at the man holding me. She was saying something in an angry tone, usually warm eyes cold and harsh then. She yelled at him, and it scared me a lot. I began to cry. _

_The man holding me cooed gently, rocking me back and forth in his arms with love and comfort in his eyes. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, moving one hand from my stomach up to my head to stroke my cheek. He murmured softly in a language different from the language of my mother. My mother spoke something like a song. Some harsh parts, some flowing parts, some blocky parts. Her language was home because I spent so much time inside her listening to her speak. _

_The man spoke something different. If my mother's language was a song, his language was a poem. It moved constantly, pushing and pulling and ever-changing. It comforted me, and I slowly stopped crying. He smiled with the right corner of his lips and kissed my forehead again. _

_He asked my mother something, and she sighed, walking closer to the man. He smiled when she responded, watching me with the same love my mother had when she looked at me. He rubbed my cheek and sniffled lightly, eyes getting more and more wet. _

_I understand now that he said, "Reginald. My little king. I'll come home soon, my boy. I'll come back for you and your mother. I promise."_

"_I promise," he repeated. _

The man reached a hand out, and I stumbled back. I let out a choked sob that I smothered with a fist. His eyes widened, and his eyebrows scrunched together. "Can I take that as a, 'Yes, you may come in'?"

My hand carefully pulled back from my mouth, and my eyes whipped to his face. I didn't know I could glare so hard. He moved back one step. I stood straight and tall, brandishing my sword before me.

"You will come in here, and you _will_ explain _everything_. And if you try anything, I will _not_ hesitate to hurt you. Get in here," I hissed. He walked inside, treading on eggshells as he tried to find a place to sit. I made the bed quickly and sat down on it, making the random stranger sit in a single couch opposite from me. I leaned partly on my sword, the tip pressed to the carpet while my hands rested on the bottom of the hilt. "Talk," I growled. My strong, unrelenting tone served well to hide the inhuman emotional turmoil and heartache that churned inside me.

He sighed. "I am your father. I first met your mother fifteen years ago at a gala in California. She was representing her company, which she had just started with her best friends a few months ago. She was looking for sponsors to expand the business. She was so radiant. Charming. Clever. All the makings of a powerful woman and an incredible businesswoman. I adored her. I asked her to dance, she agreed. She thought I was kind of dumb at first because I didn't know how to talk to her. We bonded over how quick we were on our feet. She had my heart by the next morning. We spent several months together. I had to return home, but I stayed in Los Angeles for her. I ignored my family's warnings and stayed. On the fourth month we were together, she became pregnant. We were ecstatic. We planned so many-"

I put my hand up, frowning deeply. He stopped speaking as soon as I raised my hand, biting his lip with an awkward anxiety in his eyes. "You haven't told me about yourself, yet. That's also part of what I meant by 'everything'."

He smiled weakly. "I was just getting to that." The man's eyes turned down and he rubbed his face. The guy seemed to age by almost ten years in that little moment. His eyes returned to me. "I had hidden the truth from her for those months we were together. I couldn't anymore. I had to tell her."

My heart pounded. I didn't know what he had to tell me, but I knew it would change my life. I was sure of it.

The man, my father, scooted the chair forward and took my face into his hands. I couldn't find it in my heart to move away. His touch, his smile, they filled me with warmth and sadness, love and pain, relief and fear. The expression he wore tore down my desire to shove him away and put my sword to his throat. He leaned closer and kissed my forehead, tears slowly filling silver eyes. "I am not human. I am Hermes, Messenger of Olympus, God of Travelers, Medicine, Thieves, Merchants, and more. Reginald, my darling boy, your mother hated me for this. As a member of Olympus' pantheon, I am not permitted to stay on Earth with any mortal I love. Zeus, my father, forbade it centuries ago. Because I had to leave, your mother hated me. Her anger melted when you were born, my child. Your birth made your mother's hate fall away. Because of me, you will have troubles forever. That is the only reason your mother despises me now. Half-bloods, or demigods, are what your kind are called. Children of humans and gods. Demigods experience much suffering, Reginald. Hercules is the demigod of the greatest myths. He was made a god, but was born a half-blood. You are similar. Born to your angel of a mother and to me."

I didn't realize I'd been crying until he wiped away my tears. "Why did you only show yourself now? Why didn't you ever come back like you promised, dad?"

Hermes pulled me into a hug so tight I could barely move my arms. I could feel the wetness of his tears as they fell on my shoulder. "Because I move, my son. I am the messenger of my family. I must constantly move and communicate between beings. I never stay in one place too long. I am so sorry…"

Those words kept me together. We stayed in that position, kneeling on the ground and hugging desperately, for a minute or two longer before Hermes pulled away. He smiled at me, resting a hand on my cheek. I could feel the rush and the power humming under his skin. "You've grown so much, Reginald. I'm so proud of you. So intensely proud. There is a place you can go-"

"My mother and uncle and cousins are in danger. Monsters attacked them several days ago, on my birthday. My cousin Anne-Marie had an arm bitten off by a monster. First it was snake-women. And then it was this giant demon dog. And then scorpions the size of a small car. I was able to draw the scorpions away at the end, and I ran until I could get away and keep moving. Dad, I can't go anywhere until Izzy and I are in New York, and until I speak to my cousins' mom. She can help us."

Hermes chuckled, kissing my forehead again. "So noble. Very well. Do as you must. Complete your tasks. When you're ready to come to safety, let me know. There's a place for Greek demigods like you. Camp Half-Blood takes any children of the gods. I can guide you there from New York. You and your little friend will both be safe there."

My eyebrows scrunched together. "Izzy? Isn't that place only for demigods?"

He shook his head. "No. Dryads, naiads, satyrs, and many other beings live there. A human lives there too. Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the current Oracle of Delphi."

"The future-telling woman, right?" I learned much from my classical literature lessons. My uncle really gave me no choice in that matter. He said that, for some reason, rich people like thinking they're better than everyone because they speak Latin and Greek and know all the old myths. I thought that was dumb because a lot of kids I met throughout the years knew a lot of myths, more than I ever did, and they weren't wealthy or anything like that. Still, Uncle didn't let up and made me sit through almost four whole years of mythology lessons. Now I understood why. He was preparing me for the life I would have.

"Indeed. She's there. As for Izzy, she is also like you. I will not reveal her parentage. That is a right reserved to her father."

I nodded. "Okay."

My dad stood up and rubbed his face, sighing slowly in relief. "You seem fairly unperturbed about this whole ordeal."

"I've seen too many weird things to be weirded out by anything anymore. Life is already so goddamn strange. Wait- sorry!"

He laughed. "No worries. But do watch your language, hm?" The man walked over and kissed the top of my head. "I must go now, son. But let me give you this. Consider it a late birthday present. It cannot make up for years of missed birthdays and holidays, but the people you will meet at Camp Half-Blood will make up for all those lost years. They will be your anchor and your navigation. Trust me, they will be a critical part of your life," he advised gently. The spark returned to his eyes, and the right corner of his mouth perked up again. "Goodbye, Reginald. I shall see you soon," he swore, kissing my head. He moved back and placed a small whistle in my hands, closing my fingers around it with a grin on his face and winking at me.

"Bye, dad." He left only after seeing me one more time and hearing those words.

I sat down on the bed so hard that had I sat down in a wooden chair instead, it would have broken in half.

Izzy walked out of the bathroom, looking fresh and clean and more precious than usual. She raised an eyebrow at me, clearly baffled at my posture and expression. I explained what I had just experienced, and she rolled her eyes, patting my arm gently. She scribbled onto a notepad, snickering to herself, "He offered to take us to safety, and you didn't say yes? Are you sure you're responsible enough to travel on your own?"

I gasped at her. I wanted to curse so badly, but I knew I shouldn't. "Shut up! You're like, six. You can't talk, little Miss I-Need-You-To-Help-Me."

She snorted, replying in writing, "I'm seven, and I am very smart. I talked like a really little kid so you would feel bad and help me."

"You're manipulative too?! Who even are you?!"

Izzy smirked, putting a finger to her lips after writing, "Can't tell you. Just wait a while longer, and I'll explain it all."

Groaning, I sat down on the bed again. "What the fuck is even going on anymore?"

My tiny friend shrugged, giggling to herself as she turned on the TV to watch some cartoons, her laughs leaving her body like the soft puffy exhales of a puppy's panting.

She leaned against my arm and held onto my hand, her temple pressed to my elbow. I hummed. "I need an easier way to talk to you."

Izzy's eyes widened. "Uh, do you know sign language?" she wrote out quickly on her notepad.

I shook my head, grinning. "But I have another idea. I'll get you a phone, okay? I'll handle phone bills and stuff later. I have wireless Bluetooth earbuds that I'll connect to your phone. All you need to do is type into a note-taking app, and you can talk to me that way. It'll be so much easier than having to write down everything on paper."

She beamed and hugged me tightly. Her hands shook as they wrote down the thoughts in her mind. "Thank you, Reggie. You're the best dumb friend I've ever had." I rolled my eyes and hugged her back.

"Thanks, kiddo. But if you call me dumb again, you're incredibly grounded, got it?"

She huffed and puffed, nodding her head. "Fine," she traced on my shirt with her finger. Her smile still melted my heart.

I took my turn in the bathroom and got dressed for the day. As soon as I got out, we rushed downstairs for breakfast. I had never seen something so horrible as Izzy eating at a buffet. Children are messy eaters, yes, but Izzy eats like she hadn't seen food in weeks. Still, it was cuter than most would expect.

Breakfast made me feel at home, surprisingly. Even though I was halfway across the country and hadn't spoken to my mother in so long, I felt comfortable and safe.

I stuck to the simpler foods rather than any of the pastries, getting myself a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon, an orange, a banana, some strawberries, and scrambled eggs on buttered toast. Before I ate, though, I mumbled a quiet prayer to my dad under my breath for my family's safety and as a thanks for the food. Izzy's eyes dug into my face the whole time, and I laughed when she asked why I was praying.

I tried to explain it to the best of my ability, but she wasn't too impressed. Eyes wide and excited, she ate what I suggested for that meal: some fruit, bread of some sort, whole wheat cereal, and roasted purple potatoes.

We finished our meal quickly, rushing back to the room to gather some of our belongings. I grabbed my wallet and stopwatch, tossing my jacket over my shoulder. Izzy grinned up at me when she did the same thing, her bright proud smile making me laugh. It was so precious, honestly. I leaned down and pecked the top of her head, ruffling her hair before we made our way out of the building.

Izzy tugged my hand free from my pocket and held onto it tightly, her little fingers turning white from the pressure.

My map of the city came in handy then. I hailed a taxi, and on the drive to the main shopping mall of the city, Izzy asked on her notepad if we could get lunch at the mall. After some desperate convincing on her part, I finally agreed. And in return for me letting her eat there, she promised to tell me everything she knew about her journey and her life.

After paying the driver in cash, our first stop at the mall was the nearest Apple store to buy Izzy and myself new phones. The next stop was the nearest phone service provider, where I had them put my old SIM card into the new phone. I also had to buy a phone plan for Izzy, who really mostly needed unlimited texting, since she had no use for phone calls. After that, we hurried to a clothing store to buy more summer wear for ourselves, since each of us was on their last set of clean clothes.

I mostly took a few pairs of jeans, several graphic tees, underwear, and a package of seven pairs of socks, along with a new belt and shoes. Most of the clothes didn't belong to my usual style, but I figured I should get over it. Izzy had more clothes than I, but basically the same stuff. The main difference was that her entire fashion sense better suited daughter of a 1920s mafia man than an eight year old living in the 2010s.

* * *

While Izzy ate her lunch ravenously, I noted down all of my spending and determined how to adjust my budget for the shopping spree. She hit me for stealing a french fry or two, which hurt a lot even though she was just a little kid.

My lunch was some kind of healthy salad bowl from a weird restaurant in the food court. It didn't taste bad, but the chicken was strangely a little sweet.

We worked through a plan for the next day and where we would go from there after she explained herself.

I ate while she wrote out everything she wanted to tell me, figuring it would take too long to wait for her to recount her story on paper and then eat afterwards. But the things I read horrified me. I didn't know how to react to any of it.

Basically, in a nutshell, Izzy's mom and dad met and conceived her within a year of dating after they first met. Her dad left when Izzy was only a few months old. Due to this, her mother sort of lost her mind and became a drunkard to cope with her pain. Izzy's aunt took care of her while the mother attempted to get clean. Soon, the aunt died of some kind of disease, and the mother regained custody of her four-year-old daughter. Izzy experienced all kinds of emotional and physical abuse ever since she began living with her mother.

Enraged at how his daughter was being treated, her father returned to threaten and nearly kill her mother, only stopping at Izzy's request. He told her to get out of there and go to some place in Long Island. She didn't know much about what happened to her mother afterwards, but she remembered her father leaving the house calmly, smiling lovingly as he promised to watch over and protect her throughout her journey.

I rubbed my face, pulling my young friend in for a hug. She sighed and pressed her face into my chest, relaxing when I petted her hair. "Do you know what your dad's name is? Do you have his phone number or something? Maybe an address?"

She shook her head, writing on the notepad again. "_All I know is the address of that place he told me to go to._"

"Can you give it to me, then? So I can see what that place is?"

She frowned and shook her head again. "_Daddy said it was only for people like me. He said that no one else can read it._"

That was concerning, frankly. "Can I at least try? Please?"

Eyes narrowed and harsh, Izzy pulled a piece of folded paper from her jacket pocket and shoved it into my open palm.

I raised an eyebrow at the message. Why did Izzy's dad want her to go to a camp? What would that do? The girl needed a family, not a fun summer getaway.

The note read:

_My little Elizabeth, _

_I'm sorry I didn't help you earlier. I was searching for the right moment. If I could undo your years of pain, I would. I am your father. I know you do not know me. But I will help you go to a safe place. You are not like other children, my dear. You are different. There are people like you at this place. They will help and guide you, okay? Do not be afraid. I am watching over you always. I will keep you safe no matter what happens. You will need friends along the way. I know you're smarter than anyone realizes, Izzy. You're smarter than people think you are, and that means you'll succeed in whatever you hope to do. Judge people harshly. Only those who pass your tests should have your trust, okay. Be safe, my darling. I will hear all of your prayers and your pleas for help, should you make any. I am here for you._

_With all the love I can give, _

_Dad_

Below that was an address:

_Camp Half-Blood, Half-Blood Hill, Farm Road 3.141_

_Long Island, New York 11954_

I turned to Izzy, who grumbled and pouted while crossing her arms. I mused, "Your dad is weird. Why would he send you to this camp by foot rather than on a train or a plane or in a car? That's so dumb. You're still a little kid."

She gaped at me, scrabbling to take the paper and tuck it into her pocket again. She wrote out in a rush, "_You can read that?!_"

"Uh, yeah. Obviously."

Her eyes went huge. "_Reggie, that's Ancient Greek. Only demigods can read or write that with such ease._"

I then realized. "So my dad was being honest. Oh my god. You're one of them too? Izzy, why didn't you tell me?"

She frowned. "_I thought you were just a normal human. How was I supposed to know you're like me?!_"

"Okay. Okay. It's all gonna be okay. It's fine. First, we need to go to New York and get help for my family. They're in danger, and I need to figure out some way to make sure monsters don't go after them anymore. And then we'll go to Camp together," I promised.

Izzy nodded, pulling her hair up into a tight ponytail. We made one last stop at a travel store and bought ourselves some army-style backpacks to more conveniently pack for our travels.

* * *

The two of us returned to the hotel for more rest and relaxation.

I got our phones in working order and tested out the text-to-speech idea I had earlier. Izzy spent the rest of the day watching TV and eating junk food. I worked on my budget plan and talked to my family, sighing in relief when I heard all four of them were still alive and no more unharmed than when I saw them last.

Hearing my mother's voice sent me into a fit of tears, which only quelled when Izzy hugged me and patted my arm. It was so good to talk to my family again. They warned against using the phones more than necessary, explaining that it often caused monsters to notice and attack us. I promised to avoid using our phones too much, and if we did, to turn on airplane mode and only use the text-to-speech function. I told her about my budget and spending, but she didn't care about that, telling me that she trusted my ability to ration out and use my money responsibly, that she was just happy I was safe and alive.

My mother sounded so relieved and overjoyed when she heard my recounting of my dad's visit, telling me to stay safe and avoid straying from the path that he would suggest to me secretly.

If my mother gave any piece of advice, it was always good advice, so I heeded her word and made sure to keep that in the back of my mind always. I told her my plans to go to New York and then to Long Island.

"My dear, what business do you have in New York? Just go straight to camp!"

"Maman, I need to ask Anne-Marie and Henry's mother to try and protect you all. What if more monsters attack you?!" I sounded more frantic than I wanted to. Actually, I wanted to sound strong and demanding and protective. Instead, I sounded like my mother did whenever I went anywhere remotely dangerous.

She laughed, and more of my worries melted away. "They attacked because they sensed you, _mon petit roi_. You are no normal human or demigod. You remember how fast you ran from those monsters when you were here? No son of Hermes has been able to do that, ever. You attract monsters on your own. They wanted to kill you."

That really didn't help, but it made some kind of sense, so I chose to accept it and move on. I did that a lot these days. "We are safe now. No need to worry about us. In fact, we're much safer than before. Your cousins' mother is a goddess. She's already sworn to protect them. She has very few children of her own, and they could not go to Camp, so she's keeping guard over us all. You go to Camp and be safe, okay? We'll be okay."

I sighed and agreed. "But please don't forget to send me updates about how things are, okay? I'll at least read them when I get there, if not on the journey."

"We will, darling. We will certainly send those messages. Now, get some dinner. It is fairly late now. Almost eight over there, yes? Eat up and sleep soon. You'll need your energy for tomorrow, my dear."

"_Oui, maman._ I love you so much. Sleep well. _Bonne nuit._"

"I love you too, Reginald. Have a great sleep. _Bonne nuit._"

She hung up, and I lied down on the bed, staring at the ceiling until I came to terms with everything. Finally, once I felt comfortable enough to participate in life again, I ordered takeout for Izzy and I. The two of us hurried downstairs to get the pizza since I didn't want to leave her alone anywhere and risk any possibility of kidnapping or a monster attack.

My tiny friend ate half of the pizza on her own, giggling at my amused expression with innocent mischief shining in those sweet blue eyes. I couldn't get mad at that face, no matter how much I wanted one more slice of that edible Italian heaven.

While Izzy watched TV, I started journaling my dreams, writing down everything I could remember, which was actually a lot. I recalled more than I believed was possible. Most of my dreams came to me at the end of the school year, but somehow, I never forgot even one of them. Probably because they were all so disturbing and strange.

Izzy scooted over and asked what I was doing, placing her notepad in my lap on top of my journal. I smiled at her. "Nothin' much, kiddo. Just keeping notes of all of my weird dreams. It'll help me keep track of this whole experience and this weird new life. I've come to terms with this chaos, but I won't be sane if I take things as they come without processing anything." She walked on her knees towards me, sitting to my left to read over my notes better.

"_Why do you write your dreams like you're writing a book?"_ she asked on her notepad.

I rolled my eyes. "Is it wrong to be descriptive?"

She snorted. "_No, but it _is _dumb to act like your dreams need to be described like a movie scene._"

"You're so rude for a six-year-old."

"_I'm seven, Reggie. Stop being mean._"

"Only when _you_ stop being mean!" I retorted.

She giggled with her squeaks and breathless huffs, pressing her face into the outside of my arm. Even as I stared at her with my pout, I couldn't help the smile that pulled at the edge of my lips. After a moment or two, both of us were laughing our guts out, falling over onto the bedsheets with red faces and grinning cheeks.

We packed our belongings later that night, watching TV as we folded our new clothes and organized our new backpacks. Of course, I had to keep track of some extra items that Izzy didn't. My pocket-watch-sword, a map of the US, my bluetooth earbuds, my dream journal, my budget journal, and my writing utensils. Everything fit into perfect compartments in the giant military-esque shoulder bag. I was so proud of how well-kept I was. My mother is the most unorganized person I'd ever met, despite her reputation as an astute businesswoman. So, it's a wonder I was so particular about how I organized my belongings.

Izzy mused at that fact too, laughing that I was the cleanest boy she'd ever met. I couldn't blame her. I knew of very few seven-year-olds that don't create an unholy mess wherever they treaded.

That night, we went out to an Italian restaurant for a bigger dinner, needing the heavy meal before our long journey tomorrow. Somehow, the pizza we shared wasn't enough. We, of course, would have breakfast in the morning, but we doubted it would last us very long. As we ate, Izzy told me stories about her favorite times in school, and I was shocked she hadn't been kicked out of the school yet. With the mix of her belligerence, temper, and inability to communicate with other students, Izzy was something of a problem child.

I wasn't surprised, but it did worry me that such a young girl experienced so many issues in school. She seemed so sweet when we first met, but as I spoke to her more and more, I saw her true nature. She wasn't the innocent little girl everyone assumes she is upon first contact. No, she's a little mischievous kid with an eerie ability to gain a lot of power over people that she doesn't like, which was most people, apparently. She could irritate them to such a degree that they would want to hurt her, but because she's so young and such a good liar, they could never even touch her. Seriously, Izzy scared me a little when I realized how she really thought and behaved.

All in all, though, dinner was good. Great, even. The waitress startled me a little with her loud voice, but she made up for that with her kind and amiable demeanor. And the food was amazing. I'd never had gnocchi that delicious in my whole life, not even when I went to fancy French or Italian establishments in California. Who knew Middle-of-Nowhere, Kansas would have better Italian food than the hub of food and culture of the West?

Unfortunately, I had another dream that night. This one rattled me more than I thought possible. This wasn't about the girl or about the guy from my previous dreams. It wasn't even about that creepy battle or about Izzy.

* * *

_A group of teenagers, all aged between thirteen and sixteen, huddled around an oval-shaped table standing on a ledge. One step below the teens waited an army of monsters, each more disturbing than any of the monsters I'd encountered since I was forced to flee my home. Several that looked like a lion with an eagle's head and wings, many tall monsters with one eye in the middle of their foreheads and razor-sharp jagged teeth, and in greater numbers were the snake-women I'd encountered previously, horrid black horses with manes of flame and teeth sharp enough to cut through bone, and half-dead human beings sitting atop those horses, their decaying faces cruel and motionless. _

_I probably would have shit myself had I seen that in real life._

_It all lay before me like a war council scene in one of those fantasy TV shows. My whole body jumped at the sound of a vast voice speaking behind me. My head turned way too quickly, and my neck ached from the sudden movement. A man, almost twenty feet tall and more muscled than should have been possible smirked down at the teenagers, the obsidian pools of his eyes almost swallowing the light emanating from torches that hung on the walls. _

"_Have you children been plotting against me, again?" Despite the kind tone of his question and the calmness in his face, his eyes indicated a threat of utter destruction and merciless torture if the teens actually were plotting against him._

_One teen, an incredibly brave soul, spoke up to deny the allegation. "No, sir. We've been trying to map out the path from here to the surface. A pesky god though he is, Hades, he is incredibly powerful. If we are to succeed in crushing Olympus under our hand, we must move with deliberation and intense caution. The Lord of the Underworld is not someone to be trifled with carelessly."_

_The giant man threw his head back and laughed, his massive curved horns almost poking into his shoulder blades. He stood up straight and walked forward, sitting in the throne placed opposite the meeting table. "You worry too greatly about a young deity when really, you should instead worry about the Olympians. Hades is only powerful so long as his realm is intact and under his control. When my beloved is made Queen, I shall stride to the surface and present Olympus with the head of their eldest brother as proof of my power. They will beg for their lives, and you all shall destroy the children and grandchildren of my cousin Kronos. Isn't that what I promised you?"_

_The young demigods all shifted uncomfortably, all grasping at their weapons or their clothes in worry as the same young woman explained their collective opinion. "Yes, sir. You did promise we could end them. We have not forgotten your vow regarding the punishment by death of our godly parents for being so absent in our lives. But… isn't it too dangerous to try and dethrone Hades? He rules the entirety of the Underworld, save for this place. If he grows angry and unrepentant, he may destroy all of us. We've seen his power in the Second Titan War. He was the entire reason Olympus even won again. And now, he has the support of Olympus. If he decides to annihilate all of us, he could."_

"_Are you questioning my power, little one?" the giant man mused, his tone slipping into that secret threat again. I shook in my shoes, my heart pounding and my stomach churning in worry for the teens' lives. With a little flash of light, he disappeared and then reappeared in front of the young woman, still towering over her at seven feet tall. His hands grasped her throat, and she was lifted high off the ground. _

"_I hope you have not yet forgotten what happened the last time. You know Evelyn deserved what she got. You children know better than to anger me, yes?"_

_The girl's helpless gasps for air squeezed my heart. Her eyes bulged out violently, her face slowly flushing red from the lack of oxygen. I thought I heard some bones crack in her neck, which had me feeling nauseated again. Her legs kicked at nothing, probably attempting to gain some kind of footing so she wouldn't die of asphyxiation. She shook her head desperately, though, trying her hardest to maintain her calm and collected expression, despite the terror obvious in her eyes. Her deep brown skin began turning purple, and her nostrils flared harshly, trying to take in more air. Even the pink of her lips faded into blue. _

_The giant dropped her to the ground like a ragdoll, and the girl's lungs heaved for air. The other teens rushed to her aid, bringing her down gently and trying to coach her into normal breathing again. I wiped away tears of fear that I never realized had begun dripping from my eyes. "Do not ever dare to presume that I will fail, Catarina. Never again. If there is one thing I do not tolerate at all, it is underestimation by my own subordinates. Understood?"_

_Catarina didn't respond, too busy trying to live again to speak with her voice._

"_I SAID, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" the man screamed in her voice, grabbing the back of her neck once again after bending down to look her in the face. His somewhat handsome features contorted into animalistic rage. His eyes, previously soft and cold, hardened like steel. The curve of his smile tilted downward, forming a bared-teeth sneer. Even his strong, straight nose scrunched up a little from the shape of his mouth and the scrunch of his eyebrows. She sobbed as she nodded, whimpering like a kicked puppy, "Yes, Lord Pallas. I understand. I understand. I understand."_

_Lord Pallas dropped her again, snorting in derision before turning to leave, the clopping of his hooves (I have given up the emotion of surprise. This is all too crazy.) filling the room, only to be replaced by Catarina's petrified crying._

_My heart ached for these kids. I didn't know if they were the giant goatish guy's slaves or if they joined him willingly, but something felt wrong about the entire situation. All of the kids' eyes were dilated extremely. It looked like they were all high on something, but their faces didn't show any signs of addiction or consistent use. I knew these kids were up to no good with that giant dude, but none of them seemed really into it. I stored this information away in the recesses of my mind to write in my journal the next morning._

Another dream followed before I could stop to wonder about what time it was and whether or not I should get up.

_The girl from my previous dreams, the one with the constantly-changing hair color and gold skin, stood over a woman dressed in a tattered black gown decorated in what looked like trash or cheap stuff you'd find at a garage sale. _

_The woman wore an expression of defiant fear, glowering up at the girl, who held one knife forward at the woman and the other one out towards the open air. _

_My feet crunched softly on the dry grass of the field. The girl's eyes softened, and she sighed, sheathing her weapons and holding a scarred and calloused hand out to the woman. I realized too late that I didn't hear her sigh, but only saw it. The woman's eyes widened as she took the girl's hand. The younger female, though smaller, pulled up the older woman with ease. _

_The girl asked something, and the woman bit her lips before pointing towards the distance at a golden figure, whose light illuminated the entire space with golden flares and blinding power. It was the same golden man I'd seen in a previous dream. _

_The girl looked down and covered her face, shaking her head. The woman scowled and started yelling at the younger of the two, waving long and pale and nimble arms around. _

_The girl looked up in shock and relief when the man stepped up behind her, resting a hand on her shoulder. She scrambled back and bowed, murmuring something to him. He smiled softly, brushing golden, curly locks out of his face before patting her head. The man's warm golden eyes and tanned skin gave me an odd feeling of comfort. _

_The man and the girl spoke for a few minutes, him listening quietly with his muscled arms crossed over his chest as she explained the situation with wild hand motions. _

_His gentle expression hardened and softened with time. In the end, he seemed perturbed but determined. He smiled and pulled the girl into a gentle hug, and she pressed her face into his chest, muttering something. He sighed, rubbing her head in reassurance before guiding her to the side gently so he could speak to the woman of ebony hair and cloudy skin. _

_Two sets of ancient eyes met, and the adults spoke awhile. The woman's heartbroken expression morphed into surprise and then humble gratitude. She smiled shyly at the man, who took her hand and kissed the knuckles. She looked at the girl with something colder, more hurt. The girl wasn't looking at the adults, though. She was smiling adoringly at someone else. The love in her face pulled at my heartstrings. The mere joy and contentment with which she smiled made me heartsick. I followed her line of sight and nearly choked at the revelation. The tall guy from the last dream, Tato (I finally remembered names, at the end of the dream) smiled and laughed before placing a kiss on other-me's lips. The two snickered and snorted while walking towards the girl (Anu?), who laughed brightly and rushed them. The three toppled over in a heap, laughing and hugging happily. _

_Scars and cuts and bruises decorated their bodies like bloody, painful confetti. The three young people stood when the gold man called to them. Anu walked over to him, the posture and gait of a general making her seem much older and more mature than in the previous dreams. _

_The man smiled and patted her cheek, saying something sweetly as she grinned. She leaned into his hand and commented on something, which left the other four people laughing and snickering their guts out. _

_A different man of warm appearance and disposition approached the five, wind-swept black hair and earthy eyes too soft for the general darkness and harshness of the field. He frowned at them, raising an eyebrow. He grunted when Anu ran at him, tossing her arms around his waist. He sighed in relief and hugged her close, patting her head. She smiled and returned to the golden man's side as he questioned the others with cautious anger in his beautiful face. _

_When the soft man replied calmly, answering for everyone, the golden man pulled away from the girl and hugged the other being tight, pulling back to say something very deliberately and genuinely, tears in his eyes. _

_When they simultaneously turned to me, I woke up._

* * *

Morning arrived too quickly for my tired eyes. I needed more sleep. Still, I knew that I had to get up and move, otherwise I would stay in bed forever.

Izzy woke me up by sitting on my chest and cutting off my air circulation, again.

I grumbled at her tiredly, and she grinned down at me, bright golden locks pulled up into a tiny ponytail and big, toothy smile shining. She giggled before climbing off of me hazardously, pressing her hands and feet into my stomach and legs as she moved to get off the bed. Every new placement of her extremities HURT.

Groaning with pain and exhaustion, I heaved myself out of the comfortable sheets and made my way to the bathroom, knowing my young companion already finished her morning routine.

As I powered through brushing my teeth and showering vigorously, my mind wandered off into contemplation of my dreams. Each dream was different and seemed to tell me something about that girl, Anu. I didn't know her, but she showed up in almost all of my dreams and seemed to be the center of reality, drawing attention and time towards herself with even the simplest action.

Not only that, but she always involved herself in dangerous business. Fighting monsters, fighting powerful human-ish beings, fighting everyone, really. She was a troublemaker of the most dangerous order.

I worried about what I would find at that camp. I worried that this girl was real and would drag me and Izzy into her messes. I mean, I was raised in wealth and had very few problems growing up. I couldn't handle the kind of intense struggles she seemed to pull me into in most of my dreams. I would break and die within the first day of being around her if she really did draw danger to herself like that.

When Izzy began pounding her tiny fist on the bathroom door, I figured I should get out of the shower. It had been almost twenty minutes since I first turned on the stream of scalding hot water.

My clothes were yanked on with unnecessary force, and I rushed out as fast as possible, grinning at my tiny friend, who sat ready to go on the recently made bed. I dried off my hair and put in one of the earbuds, laughing when she told me via the text-to-voice function, _Took you long enough, grandpa. Time to go. We need to leave._

I ruffled her hair, to which the young girl half-screeched and recoiled from my touch. I packed up my belongings and hefted the heavy bag over my back, slipping on my shoes before doing a last-minute check of the room. Once I decided we were ready, Izzy skipped out of the door ahead of me, pulling me by the hand down to the elevator.

"Okay, okay! Slow down, Izzy! You're gonna make us trip." She rolled her eyes at my warning but slowed down anyways. "Thank you."

Even as we made our way downstairs for some breakfast, I kept thinking about the dreams I had. About who those bright, warm people were. About why Anu kept changing her looks. About why that angry woman in the black dress pointed at the glowing man. About that war meeting. About the giant half-goat dude and his anger issues. About what happened to poor Evelyn. About what a bunch of kids were hanging around those scary monsters.

Izzy picked up on my concerned and frightened mood and pulled at my hand while asking, "_Reggie, are you okay? What happened? Is it about what I said? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. I was just kidding. I didn't think you would take it to heart,_" the little girl admitted. She pulled at her ponytail with her other hand after letting go of my hand to carry her phone.

I sighed and smiled, patting her back. "It's nothing, kiddo. Just thinking about that girl who I told you keeps showing up in my dreams."

She giggled. "_You mean your giiiiirlfrieeeend?_" she joked.

"Okay, she's not my girlfriend. I don't even know anyone who looks like her. But yeah. That girl. In my dreams, she always gets herself into these messes and puts the people around her in danger. I'm scared that she's real and that I'll have to be one of those people who gets endangered because of her presence. I'm terrified. This entire situation is scary as it is. I've never been so lost and petrified in my whole life as I have been this past week or so. I don't know how I would survive having to be around her."

Izzy hummed and leaned against me as we walked. She mused, "_You're worrying about the wrong thing. Don't worry that she'll get you in trouble because, as demigods, we get in trouble all the time. Worry about how you'll handle the stress of being in that situation because you've shown that you can handle any issue really well. You think on your feet, and that's super helpful. But the stress is what's gonna get you, Reggie. Troubles will always exist, but the stress will come and go._"

I smiled. "You're too wise for someone who hasn't even entered the third grade yet, you know."

She gave me her gap-toothed bright smile and shrugged, kissing the back of my elbow since that was the only part of my body she could reach. I gave her a quick hug and rubbed her back.

We sat down for breakfast, our plates once again piled high with mountains of food. Izzy again ate like a beast but with more manners this time. I went for seconds, knowing I would need the extra carbs for this half of the journey to camp. Izzy ate more than usual, her mouth occupied by food at any given moment of the hour we spent in the dining area.

Because neither of us cared about societal standards or norms anymore, we tossed a bunch of easy breakfast foods into some Ziploc bags and tossed them in our backpacks before leaving for the bus station again.

I was about to hail a taxi to take us to the station, but I spotted a monster maybe twenty feet away from us. It was a disturbing teenage girl with flaming hair and glowing eyes and the grossest, sharpest, yellowest teeth I'd ever seen on someone my age. From the way it was looking around, it already smelled us. I knew that if I stepped out of the crowd, it would come after us. But, I also figured that if I got into a taxi, it would chase the taxi and put the poor driver at risk.

Izzy and I shared a glance. We would take the risk.

I turned, and while trying to recall the feeling I had when I ran from those monstrous scorpions back in Los Angeles, I heaved Izzy into my arms, the combined weight of her body and backpack dragging me down a little. I forced myself to bring back to the surface of my memory how we got from the station to the hotel. As soon as my muscles remembered how fast I could run, I sped off. I dodged any obstacle in my path, focusing solely on the feeling of the changing landscape under my feet and the rush of the wind scraping past me. Not even a single human noticed me and my superhuman sprint to the bus stop.

Izzy tumbled out of my arms when we reached the bus station. Some people gave me weird looks, probably because of how hard I was panting and how red my face was, but they ignored me in favor of checking their bus tickets. I purchased two tickets at the counter, and we got on the next bus to New York. Izzy handed me a bottle of water and patted my arm when she noticed I still hadn't stopped panting like a dog from all that running.

We spoke quietly with the text-to-voice functions on our respective phones.

Izzy stared at me like she just saw Robert Downey Junior eating pizza at the bus stop. She was in utter disbelief and confusion and excitement. "_You just ran a distance of almost twenty-five miles in under five minutes. What are you? How did you even do that?!_"

I replied with a shrug, "I don't know, honestly. I did this in Los Angeles, California. That's where my family and I live. Monsters attacked my family. Those evil scorpions would have killed them, but I got their attention and ran like hell to draw them away. I haven't done that since then. I didn't know I could run like that, but my Mom knew, apparently. I don't know if my dad knows. He probably does, though."

"_And you said your mom knows? Then there are others like you! Fast bois. Speedy dudes._"

I laughed. "Come up with something better than that. I have dignity, you know."

She snorted. "_Not from what I saw at breakfast. I saw how you stuffed your Ziplocs with those chocolate croissants, you loser._"

"Rude. Anyways, no. She said I was the only one who could do this. But yeah, it would be cool to make a name for this thing. Something badass. Like…"

"_I still personally like Fast Boi._"

"I refuse to be called Fast Boi. That's dumb. What about Godspeed?"

"_Your ego is bigger than your head, Reggie. That one sucks. Roadrunner is good. Easy. Classic. Relatable. Funny._"

I grunted. "No animal-based names."

"_Party pooper._"

An idea clicked. "What do you think about Wind-Runner? Cool, classy, has a nice ring to it."

She squinted as she thought. "_Yeah. I like that. Sounds pretty badass. Wind-Runner. Very subtle, but lots of charm. Good one, Reggie. Now shut up. I need a nap._"

I smirked. "Awww, the little tiny baby needs her nap time? Go ahead, sweetie, take some snoozes. I'll protect you." Izzy retorted by punching me in my tricep, which actually hurt a lot more than I thought a hit from a grade-schooler would. "Rude little girl." She grumbled and tossed a hand over my mouth while leaning against me, her bag positioned between her and the window. I, as usual, was the buffer between her and the weirdos on the other side of the aisle.

I sighed calmly as the bus started after all the ticket checks and seatings were completed. Finally, I could rest a little. Running at that insane speed always had me falling over from exhaustion. I closed my eyes and let sleep take me again. Even though I had only been awake for a few hours, that run had me half-dead.

Thankfully, this time, I had no dreams. Only the silent darkness of sleep.

* * *

The drive was long and quite tedious. I woke up several hours after departure to find that we'd stopped at some gas station just outside the Kansas border. Izzy still slumbered freely against me, one hand clutching my wrist as the other held her jacket close. I pulled my coat off and draped it over her little body before leaning our chairs back a little to get more comfortable.

The journey resumed after other passengers took their first bathroom breaks of the drive to the Northeast.

My nap resumed for a while longer. Boredom overcame me when I woke up, so I spent some time checking my phone for any messages or emails from my family. When I discovered I had none, I turned on airplane mode again and listened to music to pass the time.

I began counting how many pickup trucks I saw through the window to my right, having no other way to cure my restlessness. I did that several times over with different types of cars and different brands and sizes and colors of automotive vehicles.

When even that grew boring, I began writing in my journal, recounting the dreams I had the previous night.

Eventually, the bus driver turned the radio on and forced everyone to listen to some talk show about finance to keep himself alert and awake for the duration of the drive.

Izzy whined and woke up quietly, wriggling around in her seat to get comfortable and more awake. She pouted and grumbled, rubbing her eyes with heat-reddened fists. Her face now pink, her hair now tousled, my tiny friend nodded hello and asked for snacks. I obliged, handing her one of the chocolate croissants I picked up at the hotel during breakfast. Definitely, they didn't beat my Maman's homemade chocolate croissants, but they were better in a different way. Softer and very easy to chew, much more textured.

After another hour, the bus suddenly stopped. I got up, thinking it was just a break for the driver, which seemed odd because he hadn't been driving very long. Last I checked, it was around maybe one in the afternoon, but I also hadn't been paying much attention to time. The bus driver growled and grunted as he pulled the vehicle to the side of the road. He sighed and stepped onto the aisle. "Sorry, folks, but it looks like the engine broke down. Not sure how long it'll take, but I sent out a message to the company's mechanic, so we'll certainly have a short delay."

I shrugged, but Izzy whined. "_This isn't faaaair. I just wanna gooooo._" My amused snickers only made her angrier because a second after I started laughing, she hit my arm. "_Why is the bus broken, Reggie?_"

"No idea, kiddo. But it shouldn't take too long to get fixed. Just relax. Eat a bit more. We'll be fine," I reassured her. We bided the hour it took for the repairman to reach the bus by reading on iBooks without using any cellular data or wifi, wanting to avoid being sensed by monsters. We talked about our childhoods and travels and friends. Izzy eventually started drawing out a little picture on an app I had downloaded for her, gifting it to me.

My face must have been confused or disturbed because she scolded me. "_This is a generous present, Reginald. It would be rude if you refused. Say thank you!_"

I grinned and thanked her sarcastically, only to jump at the sound of thumping on the ceiling of the bus. I thought I was hallucinating from exhaustion, so I ignored that noise. It happened again, and everyone else on the bus reacted the way I had a second ago. Izzy and I frowned at one another.

She typed out quickly, "_Monster?_"

I typed in reply, "I don't know. It just sounds like a bird or something landed on the roof. Maybe it's just a dead animal of some sort."

"_A dead animal landed on the roof. Do you hear yourself?_"

"Look, I don't want to think it's a monster. Overreactions might scare the other people on here. Besides, it didn't sound heavy."

The bus rocked side to side as the creature on the roof jumped off, forcing the entire unit to shake from the force of its movement.

My heart stopped when I saw the source of the motion through the window beside Izzy. A giant black dog, the same kind that had attacked my family, snarled and barked loudly at everyone, pushing at the bus with its head. It clawed a bunch of lines through the side of the bus, and the other passengers screamed and wailed in fear. My fear paralyzed me. But Izzy's frightened whimpers brought me back to focus. I looked at her and pulled her into a hug, whispering. "I'll draw it away. You stay on the bus, let me know if there's anything else attacking you."

She shook her head vehemently, fingers shaking as she typed out a reply. "No way! What if it kills you?! I can't-" The poor girl let out a sob of fear. "I don't want you to die." I smiled and hugged her again.

"I won't die, Izzy. Okay? Just stay here. Keep my stuff with you." I grabbed hold of my stopwatch and crept out of the bus, making sure no one was watching. The demon dog was still whaling on the side of the vehicle. I slowly walked around to the other side of the bus to see if anyone else was still outside. Upon seeing no one, I pulled and twisted the button. I ran around the way I had come to go in front of the dog and used the sword to catch the dog's attention, jeering and yelling at it.

"HEY SCOOBY-DOO! WHERE'S SHAGGY? HE NEEDS TO PUT YOU ON A LEASH, MAN!" I shouted. The hound barked and roared, lunging at me with inhuman speed. I jumped back a few feet and got up after stumbling. "Goddamn, you stink! You need a bath! Why haven't you ever attacked a water park?!"

The beast, now more enraged than ever, slashed at my chest with its claws. My entire abdomen BURNED. I wanted to rip my flesh off, but that wasn't an option. I tried to not let the pain blind me. But, I am also stupid, so I kept making fun of it. "Ooooh, big bad doggie gave me a little scratch. I'm soooo scared!" I sarcastically whimpered.

It roared in my face and would have taken a chunk out of my arm had I not sprinted away to the right. I kept moving and taunting it, trying to lead the creature towards the forest rather than towards the road. But, I made a grave mistake. I had run pretty far into the forest at that point. Maybe a half a mile in. Mostly flat land and lots of firs and oaks, but I encountered a hilly area with several almost mountainous hillsides.

I led the giant dog towards the base of one hill, atop which stood a big group of boulders. Instead of climbing up that hill and using gravity and the boulders to crush the dog, as most smart people would, I tried to corner the dog into the hillside. I forgot that the creature had more strength per pound of muscle than I did, and it ended up cornering me after making me fall back and try to go around it for an attack from the backside. I slashed and tried to stab it with the sword a few times, but all that only made the dog angrier.

I was desperate. I had nothing but a sword and myself to survive. The dog had made so many scratches on me that I wanted to collapse from the sheer pain. On the other hand, even if I stabbed it and slashed it back, it only growled. I was on my last idea for survival. I was almost half a mile into the forest, with no one to hear me die. Izzy was still on that bus. She still needed me, but I would die here as dog food for a giant black mutt.

All of a sudden, an inhuman screech originated from behind the creature as if someone were playing an electric guitar at the highest possible volume in one specific direction. The demon dog began to quake and quiver and turned to golden dust like that snake lady did. I gaped, even as I clutched my ears to protect them from the onslaught of unbearable sound waves.

I hadn't even stabbed it. I hadn't done anything, and the dog burst into dust from sheer screaming. What even caused that noise?! What the fuck was going on?!

My answer came in the form of my tiny friend Izzy, who stared back at me like a deer in headlights, hands cupping her mouth like she was yelling at a friend, not screaming at almost ten thousand decibels.

"Izzy?! WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!"

She shivered and shrugged, handing me the Bluetooth earbud that fell out of my ear while I was fighting the dog. "_You're not the only special one here. I have powers too, you know. Sound powers. Apparently. Daddy said I had funny abilities. He didn't say what exactly._" I stared at her, still in disbelief of what just happened.

"So…you can scream loud enough to make monsters explode? Even though your own voice doesn't work for speaking? Shit, man…anyways, um. What do we do now?"

She nodded. "_Yep. But uh, I don't think I wanna go back on that bus. Frankly, I think they might not want us there…_"

We looked at each other carefully. "_On foot?_"

"On foot."

* * *

We decided wrongly. So, so wrongly.

My feet were dying after just two hours of walking. I wanted to collapse and sleep for eternity. I almost asked Izzy if we could find someone to drive us up to New York. She just skipped along whimsically, without a care in the world about how far we'd have to travel from wherever we were to New York. We didn't even know the damn direction that camp was in.

I screamed in excitement when I realized that my stopwatch also actually had a compass contained within it. My uncle had shown me a compartment in the stopwatch, where he hid a compass so that I could find my way if I ever got lost at the park as a kid. He taught me a bunch of street knowledge when my mother couldn't take the time out of her day to do that herself, considering she spent half her expanding her business and taking care of me, a quarter of her time caring for my cousins and uncle, and the last quarter of her time trying to manage her health.

I pulled the stopwatch out, holding it towards me. My hands searched for the secret button along the ridged sides of the device, trying to press different areas so the button would push outwards. When that little click resounded, my hand turned the watch around to see a little stick poking out of the smooth metal of the watch's rim. I pulled on the stick, and out popped a small, thin compass. With all trimming included,, the diameter of the compass fit within the glass of the stopwatch.

Izzy gaped at me. I gaped back at her. We gaped at one another until grinning widely. I pulled out my map of the continental US and searched for Long Island. I positioned myself so the compass needle pointed north. Settling down on the grass, Izzy and I determined what direction we had to travel to reach camp. She and I kept our path clear by figuring out where the rising sun had to be in relation to our bodies.

So, once we'd worked through our travel plan, we traveled.

Frankly, the walking wasn't too bad that first day. I actually quite enjoyed it.

The natural scenes around us soothed my anxieties about traveling alone with a little six year old, carrying nothing but a couple days' worth of food and a few changes of clothing. We'd brought along very few other supplies that one might need for camping. Surprisingly, Izzy had quite a bit of knowledge about surviving in the wild, from knowing the best water sources in the forest to handling first aid like a professional when I cut myself on a tree branch while tripping. Of course, there were a few things I knew that she didn't. For example, she confused the tiny red berries that some of the birds ate from bushes, thinking they were cranberries. I had to guide her away from them, knowing they were actually poisonous and toxic to humans.

We split up the work. I'd look for food, firewood, and the right sleeping place (without any dangerous animals or bugs nearby), and she would search for water and shelter and would make the fire.

The walking was great at first. Just a stroll through the woods. Near the middle of the journey (we hadn't chosen the length of each stretch of walking), my calves and knees started to burn. I checked my watch and found that we'd been walking for two and a half miles at that point. We took a little break to regain some energy. Izzy ate her lunch immediately and was ready to go in like ten minutes. I needed some more time. We got back to moving after I had a croissant as a snack. We walked another four miles before deciding it was time to get some real rest. A quick thirty-minute nap was all we needed. I was worried that my young friend was walking so much at her young age, but I remembered that she'd been traveling afoot longer than I had, that too, without any help. We set up camp for the night just around the start of dawn. We got our stuff down on the ground so I could look for firewood while Izzy searched for water when there was still light out.

Let me be completely honest with you. It was grueling work. To go from living a life of luxury in California, with my mother handling my every need when I was young and then butlers handling my every need as a teen, to this life in the wild, it was hard. I didn't expect such difficulty that first day of summer.

My only relief that the heat wasn't too bad yet. Spring was just starting to melt away into summertime, so we had a little while to get to New York before the June sun turned us into liquid.

I collected a big enough pile of firewood that it would last us through the next morning for breakfast. Izzy rushed back to me, holding our two giant water bottles in her arms, both filled to the brim. She grinned toothily, bright blue eyes gleaming with pride. I cheered for us, setting down the wood to run over and grab her up into a hug, so I could spin her around. She giggled breathily, clinging to my shirt. I set her down moments after because we were both getting dizzy. We sipped our water while eating our dinner of pastries and potatoes before climbing into our sleeping bags set close together in front of the fire Izzy made effortlessly with two stones, some dried grass, and the twigs I brought.

We fell asleep talking about everything, about what we were doing, about how we felt, about the stars glimmering powerfully above us, about whatever we wanted.

Izzy mumbled her goodnight to me, curled into my side through her sleeping bag. I found myself pondering whether all of this struggle and fear would be worth it at that camp. Would we really be safe? What would we gain? Sleep took me before I got any answers.

Birds woke us up, which was both nice and annoying. We didn't know birds were so loud in the morning. Well, I guess even avians gotta say good morning too.

Izzy woke up looking like an adorable mess, as usual. She grinned at me, and I could only groan. "I don't wanna do anythiiiiiing. I wanna stay in beeeeed!" She then promptly scowled, smacked me, and stood up. I knew she wouldn't let me do as I wanted, so I forced myself to sit up and look at the sunrise, hoping that would make me want to continue the process of existing. It did, shockingly. I was bullshitting that idea when I thought of it, but it worked.

Izzy hummed like a little fairy, bouncing around and cleaning up the campsite, restarting the fire and rushing away to get some more water for us. I couldn't comprehend whatsoever how this kid was so bubbly and effervescent this early in the morning. I was barely crawling out of my sleeping bag when she giggled loud and proud, jumping with joy when she saw the sun actually come out. I just gave her a confused glance, but she brushed it off, scurrying around again.

As I dragged myself through my morning routine, I mused at the fact that I didn't have any dreams last night. And then, while I was brushing my teeth next to the river stream near the site, I coughed upon seeing something. Something I didn't even know meant anything to me. A tiny little turtle crept along the river banks towards some random place. I think it was a town because I heard the bustling of human civilization in the direction the turtle was moving. I stared, my eyes getting wider with the realization that this was probably one of my dad's animals. I remembered hearing from my Uncle that the gods had a bunch of holy animals, like Athena's owls and Apollo's ravens. Hermes had turtles, amusingly. The god of travel and communication who probably moved faster than the speed of light had the turtle as his holy animal. I decided not to dwell on it too long and instead rushed back to Izzy, explaining loudly that I saw a sign from my dad.

We packed everything up in record time, rushing along behind the turtle. My tiny companion complained that we were following the slowest animal in the world to figure out where to go next, but I begged her patience, knowing my dad sent this little guy for a specific reason, and that I couldn't change his path of travel if I wanted to know how to reach Camp from there.

We followed the turtle into the town of Arkasburg, Missouri, just a few miles inland of the Kansas-Missouri border. Something told me that that town was going to be critical in our journey. Just the name gave me a gut feeling that we had to stay there for a certain period of time before leaving. Izzy and I spent the rest of the day there, figuring out alternative travel plans. We couldn't cross half of the country on foot and hope to reach Camp before summer ended.

The kind lady who owned the Messenger Hotel and Restaurant in Arkasburg smiled and showed me the best way to reach Long Island, via a series of cabs and buses until New York. From there, we could go on foot, just to shake off the days of vehicular travel.

Arkasburg was lovely. Seriously, everyone was so nice and helpful and accommodating. The place seemed like what most people would expect from a Midwestern town. Small and everything's close together, but in a quaint and comfortable way, unlike the forceful squishing and squeezing of the big cities. The only thing that spooked me about that place was their resident psychic. Izzy has pleaded and begged me to go hear our fortunes, so I allowed it. I have a hard time saying no to that kid.

The psychic's name was Madame Oscura. Weird name for a weird woman, trust me. Madame Oscura wore a simple head-covering tied around her long, curly locks of darkness. Caramel skin shined under the creepy dim light of her parlor. Jewelry embellished every inch of her hands and arms, heavy necklaces and pendants hanging over the beautiful gown of her dress.

Her face was all round and sweet and warm and homely, nothing about her indicating that she worked with voodoo or any kind of magic. She looked like your neighbor who would invite you over for freshly baked blueberry pie and chocolate chip cookies. She was warm, every part of her. Except for her icy blue eyes. That, I had never seen in any African-American woman ever.

She cooed and giggled with Izzy, responding to my friend's thoughts rather than the text-to-voice function on Izzy's phone. That excited the little seven-year-old, who asked questions like what she would be in the future and if she would have a lot of friends and innocent things like that. The woman didn't let me ask any questions when it was my turn. No, she took my palms and read them before telling me gravely, "Your life is muddled with struggle and strife, child. Your lovers' own ambition will be your demise. Your woman's legacy is pain and suffering, and her crown a ring of lies, thorns, and torture. Your man's legacy is bloodlust and rage, his smile decorated with the zeal of war and the screams of his victims. You will find no joy in victory, boy. Your only choice is to run. Run. Run. You must run away, and only then will you survive."

I frowned and yanked my hand away. Izzy had sat stiff as a corpse the entire time I was told my fortune. Her face paled dangerously, and her usually happy blue eyes narrowed in terror. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her up, guiding her out of the parlor. When I looked at the woman through one of the mirrors adjacent to the doorway, my heart stopped. The woman wasn't a woman at all, but another monster. This time, she had flaming hair and teeth sharp enough to rip muscle. A word came to my mind that I didn't even know of. _Empousa._

After making sure Izzy and I had all of our possessions, we hightailed it out of that town, following the plan that the lady from the restaurant gave us.

Izzy never let go of my hand for the rest of the journey to Ohio.

In fact, she never left my side, either. That fortune from that empousa had terrified her, more than I thought possible. But to be fair, I didn't let her out of my sight either. I didn't trust anyone. Not a single person. I searched for any signs or hints from my father and changed the plans accordingly, taking certain bus routes or certain cabs to different places.

I won't tell you the boring details of how I reached New York. But I will tell you the gory details of how I reached Camp.

* * *

Oh, man. Okay, this part is just…it's a nightmare for me to talk about.

The kinds of stuff I saw. The…the monsters that chased us at every moment of rest. Every single time we thought we were free and safe, we got attacked. We fought more monsters in just New York than we fought during the rest of our journey from across the country. Sounds impossible, right? But it's true. Because Camp and Olympus were so close, all the monsters congregated there. And because I was, I don't know, special, - a new kind of son of Hermes? - more monsters noticed me. And because Izzy had that insane screaming power, more monsters noticed her. They smelled us from miles away, and while we chilled, they caught up to us, and we'd have to run again.

The moment we reached New York was like a breath of relief. The last stretch of the journey, and we'd reach our destination. We felt we were so close, because we were. Just a little distance more, and we'd be in camp.

We had just entered New York from its southern border with Pennsylvania. The bus we'd been riding took us from Pittsburgh to Buffalo. Izzy was bouncing in her seat. I didn't bounce, but my heart did. Excitement buzzed throughout my whole body, from the top of my head down to the tips of my toes. I was more excited than I had been when I won first place in the very first marathon I'd ever participated in at the age of eleven.

The northeast was beautiful. All tall landscapes and soaring architecture. I felt like I was finally home, weirdly. I only ever visited New York once, and that was when my mother let me join her on a work trip to NYC so I could learn about the family business.

Upon setting foot in the bus station, a cyclops attacked us, yelling bloody murder. Like previously, I heaved Izzy into my arms and sprinted away at top speed, each of us wearing our backpacks. No other monster that spotted us could keep up. I'd had to do that a few times prior to avoid monsters I couldn't fight, so my stamina was improving every time I had to run at that extreme speed.

I slid to a stop in an alleyway beside a café, panting helplessly to regain some oxygen. Izzy cooled me down by buying a bottle of water and pressing it to my bright red face. A concerned old woman walked over and asked if I was alright. Smiling weakly, my lips barely able to move up to make the grin, I replied, "I'm fine, ma'am. Thank you for the concern. I just ran a bit too fast for my body to handle. I'll be alright." She tutted at me, getting Izzy and I both some sandwiches and cold drinks from inside the café where Izzy bought the water. "Thank you, ma'am, I truly appreciate that," I told her sweetly.

She smiled. "No problem at all, dearie. Many people in New York are so isolated these days. Always happy to help a person in need." She told her goodbyes and left after speaking with us for a few minutes more.

My tiny friend and I ate our lunch peacefully, groaning with relief and exhaustion. "No more running, Izzy. I can't feel my calves," I moaned.

She huffed. "_You're telling me about your body pains? My throat hurts from all the times I screamed before. I don't think I can even laugh, now._"

As we sat and complained about our aches and pains, another monster popped up out of nowhere. Aggravated, we led it into an alley. It gave chase. Izzy didn't scream, knowing it would startle everyone within a two-mile radius of us. Instead, she acted as bait while I killed off the snake-woman.

This happened over and over. In the end, we got a cab to take us to Albany, New York. From there, we figured we'd take a bus to NYC and then walk to Camp.

The cabbie was this nice old Russian man who complimented us both on how nice and personable we were.

The entire cab felt like being at my grandparents' house. My grandpa came to mind when I saw the cabbie. All gray and white hairs lining the edges of his hairline and sideburns, but salt and pepper everywhere else. Even the deep crinkle of his smile lines and the stripes of his stress lines in his forehead reminded me of François leBlanc. Hell, even the warm, low tones of his voice sounded like my grandfather's deep drawl of country French. My grandmother's and my mother's Parisian French were so clipped and precise compared to my grandfather's village side French.

Izzy spoke with the text-to-voice function, giggling weakly when the man told her jokingly that she sounded too old for her voice.

"You are such good children, you know? I live here for fifteen year now, yes? Many many year. Long time, hm? No one as nice as you kids. Such good manners. Your parents should be proud, little ones. Why do you travel alone? No mama, no papa. Why?" he wondered.

I smiled. "We're actually going to visit my relatives in New York City, sir. They live so far from home, and my mother would have traveled with me, but she is weak and must care for my ill uncle and cousins. I have traveled alone many times, so I'm quite comfortable with it. Izzy is the daughter of a family friend, so I'm bringing her along. Her mother was involved in some bad business, so her father left her at our house to take care of," I explained.

The man inhaled deeply in sympathy. "Oh, poor children. Do you want me to take you to NYC? I do not usually, but I make exceptions for nice people," he promised.

Izzy and I grinned simultaneously. "Yes, please, sir. Thank you very much," I exclaimed. It was such a dream. I was so excited to get this journey over with. I usually loved travel, but this whole mess was more trouble than it was worth.

The nice cab driver changed routes and took us all the way down to New York City, cracking jokes and telling us all kinds of good stories. Though his driving could use some more careful turning and gentle braking, the drive went smoother than I anticipated. When he asked where he should take us, I asked if he could drop us off at Central Park.

He pulled into a parking spot, but instead of asking for the cab fare, he turned back and grinned at us with devilish shark teeth and eyes like that of a king gone mad with power-lust. "You do not need to pay with money, little demigods. You can just pay WITH YOUR FLESH!"

Izzy and I each lunged towards the door closest to us. We shoved the car doors open and grabbed our backpacks. We ran as fast as we could, but the man was almost faster. He wasn't the nice old Russian dude we'd been speaking to for the duration of the car ride. He was a giant man-eating monster. Like previously, I grabbed Izzy and sprinted again, running in the direction I knew camp was in. I didn't know how, but I figured it was my dad trying to guide me to our safe haven.

The giant couldn't keep up, even though he towered over us at eight feet tall. We kept moving. At one point, something crashed into me from the side as I ran along the forest lining the roads toward Long Island.

I screamed with Izzy when the force of the collision tossed us ten feet into the woods. One of the demon dogs had purposely rammed into us sideways so we would be thrown off-course.

It stepped forward into the light, growling down at us where we lied on the grass, our joints and limbs aching from how we landed. My right hip burned, any slight movement at all in a different part of my body setting off a chain of searing pain in my hip, trailing down my sides and abdomen and landing with a burst of suffering strong enough to make me almost pass out from the sheer pressure and ache in that joint.

Izzy sobbed, whimpering and clutching her arm to her chest. She'd landed on it vertically when we were thrown sideways, and it had broken with a sickening _crrrack!_ when her momentum finally caught up with her body. I tried to get to my knees or stand so I could at least try to defend her, knowing she was in too much pain to let out that scream again. I thought I was going to die from the pain in my hip. I really thought that was it. I balanced myself on my left knee to take pressure off the right hip, but it didn't do much.

I tried my best to grab my stopwatch without the evil hound noticing, but it did. I turned the button in a rush and slammed it down, the sword extended forward. The dog growled and jumped back in surprise upon seeing the blade. Even in the dim light of the forest, the sword almost glowed with heavenly light.

Just when I thought I would be able to scare the dog off and try to rest and recuperate, maybe relocate my hip somehow, two more dogs showed up, leaping out of the shadows from beside us. I screamed and scrambled back, hiding Izzy behind me as my one hand braced the sword forward, still balancing myself on one knee.

It was it. I would die like this. No more sweet goodnight wishes from my mother. No more jokes or pranks with my cousins. No more wise life lessons from my uncle. No more gentle caresses and comforts from my dad. No more playful moments and affection from little Izzy. It was all over. That was it. My chapter would end there.

With a burst of anger, though, Izzy pushed me aside and screamed at the beasts at a volume loud enough to make some of the trees explode along with the dogs themselves. They wailed and barked and growled at the noise Izzy emitted from her mouth, but they exploded with a weak whimper. She and I looked at one another. She wasn't her usual self. She looked like the helpless little girl I'd chosen to take under my wing that first day I met her. Her honey blonde hair was smeared with blood from an injury. Her face was covered with dirt and grime and blood and scratches that were probably infected. Her eyes were terrified and hopeless, as if she'd learned that she had no future to look forward to, as if everything happy about her life would die right there. I forced myself to stand, clenching my teeth to ignore the pain.

I hugged her tightly, and then we kept moving. I prayed to my dad to save us, to guide us and protect us as we moved on to Camp. He seemed to hear me because the pain in my leg died away immediately, as if nothing was wrong. I could feel the difference in the joint. I knew where it was supposed to be, but there was no pain. I took that as a sign and gathered Izzy into my arms and kept running. If a monster chased us, Izzy screamed until it burst into dust. If a monster got in the way, I hacked through it at the speed of sound. I ignored anything and everything. Izzy kept screaming every couple minutes when a new monster began following us, but soon it was too much for her. I kept running.

I knew in my heart where we had to go and how we could get there. I knew that my dad was making me know all that. I knew we had only a small window to reach Camp before the monsters overwhelmed us.

Just as we reached Long Island, rain crashed down on us. I put on some swimming goggles I snatched from the nice hotel back in Kansas and put them on, continuing the sprint.

Dad must have been telling the other gods to be nice to me as I tried to reach camp because most of the monsters slowed down. Not by much, though.

Eventually, they started catching up with me. I only realized a moment later that I wasn't at my top speed anymore, that I was slowing down. I was exhausted. I'd been running since I landed in NYC. My body was at its limit. I hissed and tried to ignore the monsters clawing into my back. Some of them had poison, I knew because the scratches began to burn more than others. One of them got a good claw landed in the middle of my calf. I toppled over, but I twisted and landed on my back so I didn't crush Izzy. I grabbed my sword and sliced off the limb of the monster stabbing my leg and kept running.

The monster screamed and exploded in a puff of gold sand. The others kept following me. I kept pushing myself to run faster, but it didn't work. I was so dead tired. I was ready to give up, to just let it happen as it happened. A hill came into view. I knew that if I crossed the top of it, I'd be safe. So, clearly, that was the entrance to Camp Half-Blood.

Izzy was set down gently at the base of the hill. I tossed my backpack down on the ground and held my sword forward. Six demon dogs lunged at me. They were actually the only ones that could keep up with my speed. I fought them off however I could. I got one of them in the snout, and it roared, only to burst, leaving only yellow specks in its wake.

The other five still came at me from all angles. Izzy warded off two of them on her own by just screaming as loud as she could, but it wasn't enough. They were only annoyed, not scared.

I slashed at them with my sword, and their attention drew to me again. One of them was too cocky and jumped straight at me, so I sidestepped and stabbed it through the side. The other four didn't even seem startled. I barely survived the first two. If these ones got me, Izzy was done for too.

I was just scratching at them with my sword, barely landing any hits, when a miracle arrived.

A girl, _the girl,_ glided down the steep slope of a hill adjacent to the one behind me, her shoes getting muddied from the rain and grass. She slid to a stop a few feet away from me. She pounced into action like a lion, just constantly moving forward and hacking through the demon dogs like they were nothing more than stuffed animals. Her dual knives glinted when lightning flashed above us. I took a step back when I realized the ferocity burning to rip out of her.

Dark hair tied back in a tight ponytail, her bangs hung over her eyebrows, but her eyes displayed enough emotion on their own. Sheer wrath. This girl embodied wrath. She started doing something weird a few minutes into the fight with one of the dogs. Green smoke emanated from her hands as if a fog maker lived in her skin. Wherever she touched or wherever her knives made contact, the dogs' fur would bubble and develop all kinds of disturbing conditions. Some would get completely blackened flesh, as if it were rotting. Some would get giant blisters the size of baseballs. Some would get pus-filled sores a foot wide. And as she kept slashing through them and making physical contact, each dog would burst with a wail of pain.

I had fallen over from exhaustion when the girl's fight ended. She sheathed her knives and stared down at me in shock and then in terror. Lightning illuminated her face, the sweet, clear features of obviously Indian origin contorting into fear. The first and last thing I heard from her lips as I became unconscious was my name. "Reggie?"


	10. The Sun Pops in For a Visit

_The rain bore down on me like the weight of my broken heart. It had been so many weeks since my mom last spoke to me. I felt so dead without her. My claiming was a living nightmare, I couldn't touch anyone, and I had been living off of nectar and ambrosia the past two weeks. All of these, combined with the fact that I slept on the beach for a solid fifteen days just really ruined my entire mood. I was so broken down. I had no one to turn to. Not a single soul. _

_So, when I couldn't even sleep properly, I made sure to put on my blocker gloves (which Leo, Will, and Lou Ellen had built for me to make sure I couldn't hurt anyone) and snuck out of the Apollo cabin, which I had just moved into since receiving the gloves. The gloves helped me keep my powers in check most of the time, but the plague sometimes slipped out if I forgot to put on the gloves, which was an insane hazard to everything, really. _

_By the gods' grace, no one noticed me leaving as I headed up to my usual hilltop beside the camp entrance. _

_I closed my eyes and tried to relax as I stood on that hill, leaning against one of the trees for support. Fortunately, my mere presence spooked the patrol harpies enough that they didn't approach me during my peaceful moment, choosing to instead go after other kids sneaking away past curfew. _

_A sigh escaped my lips as I tried to keep my eyes open in the rain. The landscape had flooded with the rush of water from the heavens. Everything was beautiful in the light. But in the dark, even a pretty flower can look like a poisonous weed. I missed seeing the sky at night. I needed light, but there was only thunder and droplets and occasional lightning. I wondered subconsciously who'd pissed off Zeus that afternoon to cause such a downpour. _

_I heard the squelching footsteps of someone running through the muddy grass of the valley below. I held onto the tree with one arm and leaned forward to see what was making all that noise. My eyes widened too far for my face, and my heart dropped into my stomach. A young man in a tattered jean jacket and white T-shirt was helplessly running from a pack of hellhounds, a little girl wearing a backpack carried in his arms. Frowning, I watched to see if he could handle it all on his own. Six hellhounds, all babies from what I could see. But each was the size of a small car. Still pretty fucking huge, honestly. _

_The boy set the girl down on the ground and brandished his sword at the beasts, fighting them off with the last of his energy. The girl's screams weren't normal, though. As four hellhounds went after the boy, two went after the little girl, who screamed loud enough to burst the eardrums of any human within ten feet of her. Eventually, the hellhounds snapping at her turned to the boy, who just killed two of them on his own. I knew he would die if no one stepped in. I couldn't call anyone from camp. I was too far away. I steeled my nerves and focused on everything Tlatoany and Nico had taught me up until that point. I yanked my gloves off, knowing my powers would be an advantage more than a liability during the fight. _

_I pushed off of the ground and jumped forward a little before sliding sideways all the way down the slope of the hill. The wetness of the mud and grass made the journey much smoother. My right foot held forward to cut through the grass, my left foot stayed back to keep me anchored a little. The momentum of gravity kept me going even about five feet away from the base of the hill. _

_Wasting no time, I lunged at the giant dogs, cutting at them and slashing through their fur as fast as I could. Eventually, my mind figured it was time to use my actual abilities, so I forced as much of the disease and injuries I'd built up in my body through the knives. Left and right, the dogs howled and burst into dust, all kinds of disturbing boils and necrosis and other maladies forcing them into docility. After causing one last puff of death, I turned to the boy, who'd fallen into the mud, clearly exhausted and half dead. My stomach churned when I realized how much bodily damage he'd endured. _

_Seeing his face made my heart stop. The boy from mine and Tlatoany's dreams. The guy I'd been waiting for since the first time Tlatoany and I spoke. _

"_Reggie?"_

_He saw my face and passed out. I fell to my knees and tried to wake him up again, but he was completely out. Unconscious from the extensive injuries, without a doubt. A dislocated femur, several broken ribs, more skin-deep gashes than I'd seen in all my time at Camp Half-Blood, a bunch of displaced bones in his feet, muscular fatigue, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, dehydration, malnutrition, major blood loss, and now a coma from everything listed above, along with emotional trauma, probably. I was so impressed that he was still alive. _

_The girl was in no better shape, though. Probably only six or seven years old. A broken rib, a fractured clavicle, a broken ulna and a broken radius in her right arm, immune shock from the weather changes, slight malnutrition, dehydration, severely damaged vocal cords, a crushed pharynx, contusions in the legs and back, multiple bruises and scars all over her arms, and a concussion. _

_These two were miracles of life, honestly. I tried my best to lift them both up at the same time, but the combined weight of a high schooler and a little seven-year-old was too much for me. So, I hefted the kid into my arms and rushed up the hill and past the entrance of Camp Half-Blood, placing her on the ground away from trees and buildings before rushing back down to retrieve the boy. The girl, I managed by carrying her princess-style. But the guy was too heavy for that. With a grunt of strain, I tossed him over my shoulder and trekked up the hill, dropping him on the ground next to the child. _

_I got to work immediately, putting to use what little I taught myself to do with my powers since Will first let me start helping out in the infirmary. I knelt beside the kid and held my hands above her stomach, closing my eyes to focus. My godly half-brother Aesclepius spoke to me in a dream during my self-exile, stating that "Unless [I] you gain control of your powers, you will not live the life you want. Simply hiding from your abilities will do you no good. No man who has hidden from his own strength ever won a war. Only he who is brave enough to face the adversity of doubt will be spoken of throughout history." A bit convoluted, but I knew what he meant. If I wanted to be a demigod, to be happy, I would have to learn to master my powers. So that's what I did. I spent my two weeks working through my powers and learning to use them productively. _

_When I proved to Will that I could apply my powers in a helpful way, he let me work with him and our other siblings in the infirmary. In fact, my eldest brother was so happy to see me in others' presences again that he'd just about cried, along with Naomi, who couldn't believe I was in front of her. The two of them guided me through the process of healing, but I didn't have their powers of light. I couldn't put in any kind of positive, healing energy like they did. No, I made my healing different. I took away people's injuries and diseases. I took away their suffering the same way Will gave them life and joy. _

_This was the moment I'd been preparing for since the day I decided to make myself useful as a plague-bringer._

_I focused hard on the lacerations, cuts, bruises, broken bones, and brain damage the little girl endured. I let myself think only about that. The pain. The way they happened. How they affected her body. What they felt like. How to fix them. And with a huff, I started pulling. I tried to imagine the combined damage of all those issues absorbing into my knives, flowing over my skin like a river of torture and slithering all the way down into the gleaming bronze of the twin blades. I opened my eyes halfway through and watched as the luminescent amethyst smoke of my powers drew into me from the little girl, whose body showed fewer and fewer wounds and damage._

_Within maybe ten minutes of me finishing the process, she awoke, shooting up from the ground as she sat upright. She turned and stared at me in confusion before looking down at Reggie. Upon seeing his unconscious state, the little girl began to cry openly, tossing herself over his body and clinging to the tatters of his shirt, her voice faint and breathy with each sob. "Sweetie, what's your name? And can you help me take Reggie to the infirmary?" _

_She sniffled, pulling back to reach into the young man's jeans' pocket to pull out a BlueTooth earbud. She handed it to me. Unsure of what was going on, I put it in the appropriate ear, and she picked a brand-new iPhone out of her soaked backpack, rubbing her eyes before typing something out with the Notes app. "I'm Izzy," said the mechanical voice of Siri. "I can't speak because someone hurt my throat. I don't know if I can help you, but I'll try if it's to save Reggie. How am I okay? I thought I was really hurt all over. Also, who are you?"_

_I smiled in relief. "I'm Anusha Rajachari, daughter of Apollo and plague-bringer. I saved you with my powers. I plan to do the same for Reggie, but I need your help to get him to the infirmary, like I said just now." _

_Izzy nodded quickly, tossing the phone in her backpack before hefting the entire thing over her back. We lifted the lanky teen up awkwardly. I knelt down on one knee while Izzy situated Reggie on my back to help me give him a piggyback. She wrapped his arms around my neck and his legs around my waist, tying his hands together and feet together with the strips of a T-shirt of Izzy's I tore off with my knives. With Reggie hanging off of my back, Izzy and I rushed to the long, low building of the infirmary, positioned northwest of Half-Blood Hill. She held doors for me and adjusted Reggie and tightened his bindings if it ever looked like he was going to slide off. _

_I took a knee again so Izzy could undo the two knots. As soon as his limbs were free, I turned and caught him in my arms so I could lift him up onto a bed. Some of the other patients had awoken to the noise, and I apologized in a rush, not even bothering to look them in the face while focused on making sure my patient was okay. Reginald looked way different from what I expected. I couldn't even remember my dreams, but I knew this guy wasn't who I saw. My heart ached for him as I began removing his various bodily issues. _

_After about twenty minutes of work (it took longer because of his displaced femur and multiple broken ribs), he looked more healthy. But he was nowhere near conscious. I scanned through the rest of his body, closing my eyes and letting my hand hover above him, starting at his head and going all the way to his toes. The only thing left was the coma, which I didn't know how to fix. I sighed and sat down hard on a stool, rubbing my face. Izzy ran over to me, typing furiously. "Why'd you stop?! Why isn't he waking up?!"_

_It took so much of my will to not tell her I had no idea what to do. "Izzy, honey, healing takes a lot of energy. I'm so exhausted. I haven't been eating right. And now, fighting off those four hellhounds and taking away both of your many major injuries is really taking a toll on me. Reggie will be okay through tomorrow evening, I promise. But I can't fix him alone. I need my siblings' help. _

_She whimpered, replying "Then just go get them! We need to fix him!" I sighed again and held her shoulders, staring into the baby blues of her eyes patiently. _

"_Sweetheart, it's not as simple as that. His body is in shock. He's gone through so much. He needs a lot of time to rest. If I force his body to work with me again, it'll only further the shock and leave him in the coma longer. We need to give him some rest. Okay? Just trust me. He'll be okay. Reggie will be completely fine, Izzy. I swear." The girl stared at me still, the elfish features of her upturned nose and big eyes melting my heart, which also swelled with guilt. She sniffled and nodded slowly, rubbing her eyes to stop the tears. "It's okay, sweetie. It's okay. You can sleep here, alright? I'll give you a bit to eat, and you can rest right here so you know he'll be okay."_

_The girl nodded again, climbing up onto a bed beside Reggie's and staring at him forlornly. I'd never seen a child wear such a depressing expression before. I tried to keep my footsteps quiet as I walked through the long hallways to reach the back closet, where we stored the ambrosia and nectar. I placed a square of ambrosia onto a paper napkin and carried it back to Izzy. She took the piece of godly food hesitantly, observing it carefully and only looking sadder as she chewed. I asked why she looked so upset, and she told me with that texting-speaking thing, "It tastes like my mom's homemade mac and cheese. She's not a good lady, but I really miss those times."_

_I sighed, raking a hand through my hair. "I know exactly what you're feelin', kid. Well, I'm not so good at this comforting stuff, but if you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here. I'm always ready to listen and relieve people of their pain." She smiled as thanks and finished off the last of the ambrosia before lying down on the sheets, still facing Reggie as she placed her head on the pillow. I tucked her in and pressed a kiss to her temple. She smiled at me weakly, closing her eyes and falling asleep within seconds._

_I sat on the stool and took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing," I muttered hopefully._

That was the first time I saw Reginald leBlanc in person.

I spent the next three days solely focused on trying to bring him out of his coma. Nothing worked at all. Everything I tried failed. I tried so many different ways, so many different healing medicines, and herbs and everything. Nothing helped. Bless my siblings, they tried. They tried their ways of trying to pull him out of the coma, but even those attempts were in vain.

Poor Izzy stayed in the infirmary all the time, not wanting to leave her best friend. On the second day, I forced her to go stay in the Apollo cabin so she wouldn't get depressed from seeing the lack of progress in healing Reginald. Coincidentally, that was the right move because Izzy actually was a daughter of Apollo. I learned that during the breakfast of the third day, while she was sitting with me and the other Cabin Seven kids, which I'd suggested in hopes that being around my happy siblings would make her happy. My siblings were happy. She was happy, briefly.

But I was not. Not yet. I wouldn't be happy until Reginald was safe and healthy and functioning normally.

I spent the first day sitting in the infirmary, trying to come up with a list of things to try and see if they would help. I'd consulted Will to check on them after explaining the entire situation. With his approval, I began trying my different ideas. Unicorn draught in his IV, ambrosia shadow traveled into his stomach with the help of a certain son of Hades, an hour spent touching the Golden Fleece, nothing. I at least thought the Fleece would work, what with all its incredible powers and all. I realized after that moment that he wasn't unconscious for a physical reason. Someone was keeping him in his coma. Someone more powerful than the Fleece, which made no sense. But, I have a stubborn streak a million miles wide, and nothing was going to get in my way, not even a being more powerful than the Golden Fleece.

On the second day, I tried various methods of my own. I tried pulling away injuries of his brain, injuries of his limbic system, as many different absorptions as possible. The pull on his brain injuries somewhat helped, but not by much. It wasn't enough to draw him out of unconsciousness. That day, even Will and Naomi and Kayla worked together, but that didn't do anything. I had gotten further with trying to pull away his coma than they did with trying to push light and healing into him. I remember, that night, I had a dream about Lord Hermes. He said he was only dropping by for a quick visit to say thank you. "You are trying your damned hardest to save my son, child. I cannot thank you enough. I am not capable of pushing past the defenses that keep him in his coma, Anusha, but I think you can. You and your siblings, you all have special gifts. Use them," he suggested before poofing away.

I asked everyone that had any knowledge of healing. I got the Hecate kids, the Athena kids, hell, even Chiron, to try and help me save the guy. Everything failed with a spectacular bang.

I was getting desperate by the tenth day. That's when Tlatoany's mother had her funeral rights.

I still remember seeing him that morning. It was like being punched in the throat. It was such a shock to see him out and about, that I didn't know what do say or do upon seeing him. I don't think he did either because we spent a solid two minutes staring at each other before running in for a hug.

Really, I don't know what the Aztec kings were like. I have never met a king, except for the times I went to Olympus. But, if I had any guess as to what a king of the old days looked like, I would say it was Tlatoany. Even at age fourteen, the guy was bigger than everyone in the Hermes cabin and had the regal looks to vouch for his exemplary bloodline. The strong features of his face absolutely suited the river of his dark hair. The outfit he donned only made him seem more kingly. I almost had the urge to curtsey when I first saw him up close.

He joined me to see Reggie, but after he left to go spend some time talking to his siblings and his father, I stayed in the infirmary. That day…it was so much harder than I thought it would be. I'd never been so lifeless and helpless. I was burning myself up, trying to save Reginald. I'd spent ten entire days forcing my powers to work for me in ways I didn't know if they could. I was hanging by a spider's thread, and I was going to drop into the worst hour of my life if that thread snapped.

Naomi kept me from returning to Reggie's side, swearing that she would put me under house arrest like she does to Will when he works too hard.

I groaned at her, but she was relentless. "No! You heard what Tlatoany said. If you want to be here, you're only working with these guys, not with Reginald. You said it yourself last week, honey. You and him both need rest. It'll do you no good if you're trying to heal him on an empty stomach with no sleep," warned my half-sister. She finished bandaging a Hermes kid's arm and sent him off with a lollipop before making me sit and work on evaluating some of the kids who came in a few minutes ago.

Unable to say no to her orders, I did as Naomi said, writing down the names, injuries, and parentage of each new patient.

After two hours of the Reggie-less work, the horn sounded, signifying it was time for dinner. I rubbed my face and looked expectantly at Naomi, who sighed. "Again?"

I shrugged. "I don't wanna waste any chances of random genius, Naomi."

She shook her head. "Nope. You're coming with us, Anu. Get off your ass and walk." When I didn't move, she grabbed my wrist and yanked me off my stool, dragging me out of the infirmary. I knew demigods were strong, but never once did I anticipate my sweet, sunny sister having the grip of a bodybuilder.

She pulled me all the way to the pavilion, smiling brightly when I pouted, both arms crossed over my chest. "Oh, stop whining. You'll go back for the rest of the night, right?"

I grunted. "Yeah, but still."

"But nothing. Go get a plate. Also-" Naomi squeaked, interrupting her lecture. We whipped around to see who it was and found Tlatoany, smiling tiredly and dressed once again in his orange Camp Half-Blood shirt, blue skinny jeans, and Vans. My sister beamed. "Tlatoany!" She hugged him, and he smiled a bit wider, letting me go in for a hug when she pulled away. We pressed our right cheeks together and pulled back. His eyes sparkled curiously, some kind of inspiration alight in them.

"Mind getting some of our siblings together? I have an idea."

* * *

Six of us sat at the Hypnos table that night for dinner, asking Clovis about how comas and blockages work. He explained it to the best of his ability, and then Tlato explained his idea. "Basically, I remember Nico telling me this story one time about Praetor Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano. She apparently lent him her strength when they were bringing the Athena Parthenos statue back here to Camp Half-Blood. He had to do a bunch of shadow-traveling, and it used up a lot of his strength. Reyna is a daughter of Bellona, a Roman goddess of war. I have a feeling that as children of Ares, we can do the same thing for Reginald. Ares isn't just bloodlust and gore. He's strength and confidence and self-assurance in one's capabilities. If we can give Reginald enough strength to rise out of the coma, Anu and the other Apollo kids may be able to help." His eyes almost shined from the excitement. He was so ready to try this out.

I was a bit more jaded from almost two weeks of no improvement in Reggie's health condition. "Tlato, that sounds very cool, but I'm not entirely sure how applicable it is. I mean, you guys have never even tried anything like this. I just don't wanna take a chance with his safety…"

Will and Naomi glanced at each other before looking to me. At this point, we were the top three healers in camp, simply due to our abilities. Will was the foremost expert on any healing in camp. He'd been doing this for almost six years now. He'd seen everything. Hell, he reattached a guy's limb when it fell off! Naomi was the prodigy. She could work through and work around any issue in minutes. Not to mention, her proficiency in using light of all kinds to heal people's injuries and maladies was well known all over camp, simply because of how strange and different it was. And me? Well, the resident plague-bringer is going to bring some attention to themselves, whether or not they want it, and my ability to strip people of their minor sickness or major injury made me popular among the older campers, some of whom had chronic pain and other serious issues.

On the Ares side were Tlatoany, Mark, and Sherman. Mark and Sherman seemed a bit more reserved about the idea. "Buddy, I appreciate how determined you are to save this Reginald guy, but really, what makes you think we know how to do all that?" reasoned Sherman. Honestly, he had a point. You can teach an old dog new tricks, but you can't teach an old cat a new dog's tricks.

Tlato's face fell slightly, but he kept going. "Seriously, Anusha taught herself how to use her powers on her own with no guidance. What makes you think we can't do the same?"

Mark rolled his eyes, scratching at the back of his neck. "Because she is predisposed to her powers and saw how they affected people. We don't know if children of Ares can even share strength like the kids of Bellona. Different goddess, different powers, Tlatoany."

Still, I wanted to try one thing out before going for Tlato's idea. So, I relented. "Listen. We'll keep that idea on the back burner as a last resort. If nothing else works, let's go for that. I have one more idea I wanna try with all the children of Apollo. I'll ask Chiron about the curfew exceptions for our cabins so we'll have sufficient time to work through this, okay? We'll do it all after dinner," I promised. My best friend grinned at me and nodded.

"Fine by me. Just let me join you for your idea. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back," he declared. Everyone rolled their eyes, except Naomi who was too nice to do that, and Izzy who sprinted over halfway through Tlato's monologue to sit beside me. I worried she didn't eat anything, but she typed out on her phone, stating that she eats really fast and a lot.

Izzy used the text-to-speech thing on her phone and said, "That's a dumb quote, but thanks for trying to save Reggie. He's my best friend. Anusha's my best friend too, now, because she healed him. You can be too if you make him get out of the coma," the young girl stated casually.

Everyone fawned over her adorable features and sweet statements, which is a given. Unfortunately, Tlato and I didn't stay long enough to spend more time with her after finishing dinner because we rushed off to try out the idea I came up with while getting my food that evening. As the two of us ran to the infirmary, I explained my thought process.

"Apollo is also the god of music and poetry, along with a bunch of other things. I figured that if I sang while doing the healing stuff, it would speed up and strengthen the process. I don't know any hymns to my dad, so I'll have to manage with whatever songs I know already, which are mostly just what I hear on the radio and in Indian movies. I'll pray to Dad ahead of time, so hopefully, he hears my pleas and will help us save Reggie."

While running, Tlato nodded his head, which looked way funnier than it should have been. We stopped in front of the infirmary. Neither of us moved an inch. I could almost hear Tlato's heartbeat over the thundering in my own chest. I thought I was going to pass out from the sheer anxiety. My mouth dried, my stomach churned. I hoped to all the gods in heaven that this would save Reggie. Tlato was in the same state. His cool, calm face was awkward and hesitant. He almost seemed to curl in on himself. Back hunched, lips pursed, eyes wide, eyebrows scrunched, teeth clenched, hands fidgety, arms crossed. I really didn't know this uncomfortable, frightened man.

We glanced at one another. "Ready?"

I sighed and shook my head. "No, I'm not. But we gotta do this anyways."

He nodded. "Yep…" He held onto my hand, and we ascended the steps carefully before walking inside. The new wood of the floorboards creaked as our feet landed, bringing us further and further to the back of the building, where Will had helped me set up an ICU for Reggie so I could heal him separately from the others.

My hands quaked as I grasped the knob of the back room and turned it. The comforting weight of Tlato's hand on my shoulder kept me going. A deep inhale and a slow exhale later, I opened the door entirely and took a glance around the room to check on its state before looking at Reggie. Still completely unconscious, an oxygen mask over his face and a blanket tucked around him.

Everything about him seemed so silent and uncompromising. The situation had no hope, no prospect for survival and success. But I am Anusha Rajachari, and I am the most stubborn bitch this world has ever known. So stubborn that my nickname in school was "Mulan", even though I am not at all East Asian. I mean, it was a mix of racist stereotypes and actual humor, but I still accepted the nickname. There really is no Disney princess more hardheaded than Mulan, and no one can tell me otherwise.

So, I got to work. "Can you uh, could you wait just outside?" I asked my friend.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

I looked away awkwardly. "Um, I don't really like it when people watch me sing. It's uncomfortable. A self-esteem thing, really. You can wait outside and listen, but just please don't watch," I begged. Tlato sighed and agreed, giving me a nice, strong hug for good luck before stepping out of the room. He shut the door behind him with a soft click.

_Sigh_. "Apollo, Dad, please…help me save my friend," I mumbled under my breath with my right hand over my heart. Sitting down slowly on the stool at the left of the bed, I placed my hands above Reggie's torso and tried to focus on the pulling sensation again, honing in on the feeling of tugging at his brain to make it wake his body up. After getting into the flow of my usual "healing" process, I began singing the one song that fit my mood for that day and explained what I wanted from my dad.

It was a song from a Telugu movie my mom and I watched years ago. We watched films from so many cultures and languages. I didn't understand a word of the movie without subtitles, but even without knowing any Telugu at all, I knew exactly what the song meant.

Eyes closed, I kept singing and pulling. Singing and pulling. Singing and pulling. So much so that I didn't realize Tlato had actually walked in and was sitting across from me, watching my performance. He reached a hand out and wiped at my cheeks, sighing sadly upon seeing me cry. Dude, I didn't know I was crying. I was completely unaware of everything in the world, that's how focused I was on trying to heal my friend.

I looked down at Reggie, hoping to see him awake and functioning.

He hadn't moved an inch. He hadn't changed or even slightly woken up. My heart fell.

I put my face in my hands and shook. I didn't want to cry. I was tired of crying. I was so fucking tired of being sad. I wanted to just be happy with my friends, but no. The world had to work against me every moment I found joy. I refused to cry. My mother always said that strength is wiping away your tears to comfort someone else. To me, the place where I grew up, crying at all is all weakness and no strength. Strength was pushing down all the hurt to keep going, and I did that so much. I never cried this much in my life. The last time I cried this much was when I kept hurting my already awkward legs in middle school, when one leg was longer than the other.

Tlato gathered me up in his arms and held on tight, kissing the top of my head. He muttered comforts and consolations, but none of them reached my ears.

I sat there shaking in his arms until my siblings and other Ares friends walked in. Great. Now more people could see I was a failure. (My mental state wasn't in the best shape, really.)

Naomi and Will recognized my state of mind and gently gave some hugs before moving to stand next to me. "We'll try Tlato's idea, okay, kiddo? The rest of Cabin Seven is waiting to see if you want them in here too," Will explained. I looked up at him and nodded.

"Just us for now. If it's not enough, let's get them in here too," I decided. I wanted this to work. While I didn't have much hope that Tlatoany's idea would bring Reggie out of his coma, I still wanted to try anything and everything.

Will stood with one hand pressed to Reggie's head, Naomi holding his left hand, and then me holding her's. And Tlato held my left hand, with Mark holding his left hand and Sherman holding Mark's. A little U of demigods around the bed.

With a breath, Will and Naomi began muttering prayers and hymns under their breath as I began singing again, but a different song. Ironically, it was the song from that Disney movie about the girl with the glowing hair. The Ares boys closed their eyes and focused as hard as they could, trying to send as much of their strength to Reggie. In a funny little moment, all six of us were each kind of glowing. Tlato, Mark, and Sherman with their faint red, Will with his sunny yellow, Naomi with her bright white, and me with my dark purple.

As the singing and praying and focusing continued, I could feel some of the barriers in Reggie's mind start to break down slowly. It was like seeing a dream in real time rather than in your sleep. I could see the defensive shield fall apart bit by bit. But it wasn't enough. I paused the entire moment and told everyone to stop. "Cabin Seven, in here, now!" I shouted. My other five siblings sprinted inside, at Will, Naomi's, and my shoulders. They put their hands on our shoulders, and with a hopeful, "Continue!" from Tlatoany, we kept going.

On and on and on. We only finished when we were all drained of energy and seconds away from toppling over.

I just about sobbed with joy when I saw Reggie's eyelids flutter and close again.

Tlato pulled us all out of the room so we wouldn't freak out the poor newly-conscious guy. "Alright, come on. No more tears, Anu. He's fine, now, see? He'll be alright!"

I blubbered and cried anyways, burying my face in his chest while my siblings surrounded me. I turned to the rest of the Apollo Cabin and crumbled to my knees, still crying as I thanked them for saving Reginald. It was easily the most emotional, joyful moment in my time at Camp so far.

Things quickly took a sour turn when one of the Hermes guys I often pranked with sprinted into the infirmary. He ran to my side, panting and coughing. "Your sister was stolen. The little kid? She got claimed this morning? Someone stole her!" yelled Philip.

My heart pounded again. I looked at my siblings' worried expressions, and understanding hit me in the face so hard I got whiplash.

Two weeks ago, when I was still in self-exile, I'd gotten attacked a bunch of times when I wandered into the forest. It was never by campers or monsters. It was always by strangers that didn't belong in camp. One of them tried to shoot me with a flaming arrow. I realized with a chill that day that it was the same arrow that nearly impaled Nico di Angelo. A bunch of random strangers attacking me in the woods, but with Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold weapons? And now, my youngest sister got kidnapped? No way that was a coincidence. Not at all.

"I know exactly who took her," I called out into the chaos of everyone's worried rambling and yelling. Silence fell. They all looked to me.

I sighed and rubbed my face. I had to handle this situation as soon as possible. Couldn't have Reggie waking up to heartache. He needed to be healthy. "Search party. ASAP. Ask Chiron just for the sake of it, but search even without his permission. Scour the camp. She wouldn't hide. And when Reggie wakes up, we'll tell him. He may have his own way to find her. If not, I'll need to see the Oracle. There is some weird shit going on, and I'm not dealing with this slowly."

Naomi's voice quaked with rage when she spoke. Frankly, I had to step back a little for fear of losing my breath if she punched me. Her entire body began emitting a terrible white glow, the whites of her eyes almost covering the iris from the sheer brightness. Sweet face completely calm, golden eyes of ivory glow, and athletic body tensed too hard, she asked through clenched teeth, "Who took our sister, Anusha?"

Both my hands held forward to calm her down, I explained the attacks on my life when I avoided everyone. My favorite sister eventually calmed down, but her eyebrows still scrunched in frustration. She allowed me to hug her even though she still seethed with anger. "Trust me, Naomi. We will find them. But I have a feeling this isn't as simple as looking around camp. My gut tells me those assholes took her, and I trust my gut more than I trust my own mind." Tlato shifted on his feet at that but nodded.

"I'll go tell Chiron. You guys start looking. Mark, stay here and protect Reggie. Call me if anything, and I mean _anything_ goes wrong, got it?" As the elder son of Ares nodded, we all rushed out of the infirmary, and he rushed back to the ICU.

Tlato and I looked at one another. We knew. We just knew. There was a reason all of this was happening. Someone wanted Reggie to stay in the coma. Someone wanted him to get out of it. Someone kidnapped Izzy on purpose exactly when Reggie woke up. We pursed our lips and began the search. Tlato was a cheetah, leaving us in the dust when leaving to inform Chiron of the missing child. Each Apollo kid grabbed a partner and searched. The three strongest of us took a partner and searched. I grabbed Austin and ran for the woods where I fought off all those strangers, wondering if they liked the cruel irony of keeping the kid in the same place they wanted to kill me.

Austin and I each took a direction and ran with it, scraping around in shrubs, climbing into the treetops, looking for any caves or crevices that could contain a small child, pushing branches and vines and other things out of the way to see if she had dropped into a hole someone covered, anything. Anything at all. Our legs and lungs screamed by the end of the three-hour search. We glanced at one another. "Anusha, how…how could somebody just steal a little kid? She was so sweet and nice. She was eating dinner with us at one point, and she said she wanted to check on Reginald because she knew you guys were there. I said yes and let her leave. I…"

He put his face in his hands, bow dropping to the ground with a thud. He grasped at the curls of his hairline and let out a sniffle and a sob. I grabbed him into a hug. To my surprise, he clung to the cotton of my flannel shirt, grasping on with all his might. He _shook _in my arms. He quivered like it was wintertime. I stood stock-still as he pressed his face into the crook of my neck, curly locks tickling the underside of my jaw. He felt so frail at that moment. My prodigal archer and saxophonist brother whimpered like a kicked puppy. I tried my best to console him, but I don't think it really helped much. "It is no one's fault except the kidnappers, Austin. You don't get to blame yourself for other people's crimes. We all made mistakes, but they committed the crime. No matter what happens, I'll get her back. We only had her for a quarter of a day, but she'll be back home faster than you can say arrow. Okay? Now, please, just calm down, relax. Get yourself together, and we'll get back with the others. We'll do a camp-wide search tonight. She was my responsibility, and I let her slip out of my hands. I'll figure out the plan, but please, brother. Relax," I begged.

Austin pulled back and nodded, sniffling as he scooped up his bow and followed me back to the Pavilion. Chiron looked at me when I walked in, and the others' eyes joined his. I nodded at Austin, patting his back before he scurried away to join my other siblings.

I jumped up onto an empty chair and called out to everyone. My days helping Nico teach the sword-fighting class really made me a better speaker than all of the presentations my teachers forced me to do in school.

"Camp Half-Blood. We have something of a major crisis at the moment. Upon leaving to visit Tlatoany and me in the Infirmary, my youngest sister Izzy, who was claimed this morning, was kidnapped. I believe the kidnapper is one of the people who's attacked Camp since I first arrived here. The stray flaming arrow aimed for Nico di Angelo's head, the subsequent attacks on me during my self-exile, and this kidnapping all happened by the targeted actions of a group who want something with Tlatoany, Reginald, and me. My siblings and I, along with Sherman and Tlatoany, have done a rudimentary search for my sister, but have not found her. I request you all to assist however you can. I know she is not related to you all directly, but I consider you all my family just as I do her, and just based off that bond, I beg you to help me find her." I put my hands together in prayer and pressed my face to them. "Please. Please help me find her."

Everyone gave me somber, understanding looks, and I nearly collapsed into tears again. This day was getting to be too much. I hated everything about that day.

My eyes found Tlatoany's in the sea of people standing to offer their support and assistance. He and I understood very clearly. We would not find Izzy that day, no matter how long we looked. She was our prize, and the game had just begun.

* * *

Let me say that as a daughter of Apollo and someone who is generally a morning person, that was the worst night ever. Not only did I use up ninety-nine percent of my total energy in my life that day, but I also was so emotional and exhausted. We searched until four in the morning. FOUR IN THE MORNING. YOU KNOW WHO STAYS UP THAT LATE? LUNATICS. I'M NOT A LUNATIC. I'M A BITCH. THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE.

(My boys are calling me insane. I tend to disagree. Just because I like to fight and get injured and struggle to succeed at the simplest things and live the inconsistent, unstable life of a nomad doesn't mean I'm insane…shit. Alright, fine. Maybe I'm a little off in the head, but that doesn't mean I am the kind of person to stay up until four in the morning. I sleep at ten and wake up at six. I am HEALTHY.)

Anyways, back to my point before I started ranting to make an entirely different point to my boys.

We went to bed at five in the morning. My dad's nature as the sun god made me wake up at six in the morning, and I wanted to die. All eight of us stayed in the cabin. We missed breakfast and inspections. Will let us sleep in until nine and then had us get up to go through the morning routine. The camp began the search at nine forty-five. It continued until the beginnings of dusk. Every single person was on the case. Every dryad, satyr, naiad, camper, and self-sufficient entity tried their best to track down my baby sister. I joined every search possible, finding nothing.

Tlato, Will, and I knew she wouldn't have left Camp as a little kid. The trauma of so many monster attacks kept her close to familiar people at all times. She never left my side throughout the morning.

So, someone took her. We reached that conclusion a half an hour after lunch ended. Everyone kept looking. I wanted to maintain the hope that she was still in camp, hiding somewhere and tricking us all. But that wasn't true. My gut told me so. Reggie also woke up that day. Just after sunset, his eyes opened.

Tlato and I were sitting and resting in the infirmary, cooling off after the long hours spent looking for the newest daughter of Apollo. On a whim, I decided to go check on Reggie and see if he maybe wanted some food, possibly get him to sit up. He was not only sitting up, but he was mumbling in confusion to himself, staring at everything in shock. After a solid minute of discombobulation, the guy finally noticed me. His eyes comically widened, the pupils of his baby blues narrowing from fear.

The first words out of his mouth: "You two? You're…real?" I figured Tlato was behind me, considering he said 'you two' and not just 'you'.

I waved like an awkward fool. After a pause, Tlatoany coughed. A beat of complete silence. The two of us rushed him, tossing our arms around his neck. He grabbed onto us tightly, gasping through his sobs. That's what didn't make sense at first. He thought we didn't exist. Probably because he figured we were just people in his dreams. He seemed almost nervous to see me. But when he hugged us, all we saw in his body language was relief and ecstatic joy. We didn't really care enough to do all that analysis, though. We were just glad he was awake and alive and safe. We laughed as we pulled away. "Sorry," Tlato began. "Must be weird to wake up to random strangers watching you from the doorway."

Reggie laughed like a cello. Smooth, deep bass tones sprinkled with some of the precise, soft elegance of a viola or violin. "I've come to accept that my life is just filled with weirdness, man. I'm used to it, really. The first weird thing I experienced on my journey here was being forced to basically adopt a seven-year-old. Manipulative little kid. I know you know Izzy. Where's the little brat?" he wondered, the sparkle in his eye so unlike the dreary, exhausted slopes of his face.

I sat down on the stool and took his hand, Tlatoany doing the same on his other side. "Listen, Reggie…Izzy was kidnapped. I know the culprits. I _will_ find her. Every single person in camp is on a huge hunt for her. We've been looking continuously since about ten this morning. We started last night, around nine at night. We continued until four A.M., woke up at nine, and kept going after that. It's been a long, long day, Reggie, but we will get her back. She's a daughter of Apollo. My sister, actually. But-"

He scowled. It didn't suit his features whatsoever. A face that should have only ever smiled and laughed and hummed was contorted into anger. "I know. I've been having a bunch of dreams since I passed out in the rain that day. My dad has been able to speak to me. Your dad healed me, actually. That's why I only got up now. He wanted to get me up and about before nightfall. We need to go on a quest for this. I can't explain my dreams. There is so much. But it has to happen. If we want Izzy back, we need a quest."

I looked at him seriously. "Your dreams?"

A shaky, bony hand raked through chestnut hair. "You had the ones about the giant goat man, right?" My eyes widened. He nodded. "That one. His people took Izzy. The asshole actually talked to me in my dream. He said that she was part of his deal with you, Anusha. That you were the trader he would exchange with. Something about a pendant and Izzy's life. He spilled a bunch of his plans, having decided to kill me in my dreams, somehow. Your dad saved me before Dollar-Store Satan could lay a finger on me."

Beside me, Tlatoany's eyes widened, and his breathing quickened. "Fuck," he hissed lowly. Reggie and I stared at him long and hard. He grunted, looking away. "I so badly wanted to avoid this, but this is what I get for keeping secrets. When I first came to camp, I got a prophecy from Rachel, the current Oracle of Delphi." A hand pressed to his temple, as if he had a headache, Tlato gazed at us with grim eyes. "A life for a living gem, the deal is made. / From truth, rotten sun and speedy word have strayed. / The War of Lips shall be caught in game, / For silent vengeance the War shall win the same," my best friend recited.

Reginald raised an eyebrow at the other boy's words. "The war of lips? Does that mean somebody's gotta make out with something? That doesn't sound age-appropriate."

"No, dude. The War of Lips is talking about me. I'm the son of Ares, God of War. And Lips is the god of the Southwestern winds. I'm from southwestern Mexico and the southwestern US," Tlato clarified with a snicker.

The gears began turning in my head with a whoosh of energy. In my group of friends from school, I was the poet. I had no talent in fictional stories or novels or essays of any kind. But if it involved poetry, I was a gleaming star among rocky planets and dim suns. And this prophecy was just magical poetry. I broke down whatever I could understand. "First line. This goat-man wants to trade Izzy for the necklace Tlato and I have been communicating with here."

"You guys talk to necklaces?" Reggie sounded incredulous.

I sighed. "A cursed necklace with a child's soul trapped inside it, or so I presume. That's the only living gem I can think of. Now hush and let me continue. So yeah. The goat-man wants to trade us Izzy for the necklace. Line two, rotten sun would be me. Plague-bringing daughter of Apollo, the sun god. Speedy word. Is that you, Reggie?"

He groaned. "Seriously? Speedy word? Lame. Also, yeah. I'm uh, I'm kind of the Flash, but a son of Hermes." I couldn't help how hard I laughed. Tlato smacked me in the back of the head of it, but that didn't retract anything from the humor of the statement.

I snickered a bit. "Okay. Yeah, rotten sun and speedy word. So, we'll lie about something. Line three, Tlato, I think you're gonna be forced to fight or oppose someone against your wishes. Just watch out for people trying to manipulate you more than usual. Line four, silent vengeance…" That part made no sense. Tlato gasped.

"Shit…"

Reginald and I glanced at one another before looking at the giant teen with 'What the fuck are you on about' expressions on our faces.

He nodded. "Silent vengeance. Who is the deity of vengeance or revenge in the Greek world?"

Reggie replied in under a second. "Nemesis!"

"And whose cabin did we find the necklace in?"

Things clicked for me. "Nemesis… And silence?"

He huffed. "Who is the most silent of everyone in Camp?"

Reggie mumbled this time, more sad than proud. "Izzy."

I put my face in my hands before sliding them up and back to pull my hair into a ponytail. "Tlato, I think you need to be careful with this. You're gonna get tricked into fighting someone, but you'll have to win by focusing on the kids. The kids should be your motivation," I explained. The boys looked at each other and then at me. I rubbed my eyes and smiled tiredly. "We all need some rest. Let's go get some dinner, yeah? We'll talk to Chiron, Camp's activities director. We need his approval before any quest. Not to mention, Reggie needs some training."

"I don't think he's gonna get a chance for that, Anu," Tlatoany warned. I frowned at him, only to realize his gaze led to the window, not at my face. Following his line of sight, Reggie and I tried to figure out what was going on. I just about choked on air.

My father had arrived.

* * *

On the seventh of every month, Apollo visited Camp Half-Blood to spend time with Cabin Seven and bond with them. He dropped in at sunset on the seventh and left at sunset on the tenth. I checked my watch and realized what date it was. The seventh of July. My heart pounded so hard, I know Reggie heard it, just based on his concerned expression. "Uh, Anusha? You okay, hon?"

I croaked, "Yeah, totally. Why wouldn't I be okay? My father who has never once spoken to me directly out of fear that I would cause a mass plague is currently in camp to spend some time with me and my siblings."

Tlato sighed. "Well, there goes that peaceful evening I wanted. Come on, Reggie. Let's get you some ambrosia and nectar, and we'll get out the door. Gotta talk to the others." I hurried off to fetch a tall glass of nectar and a little bit of ambrosia, not wanting to burn up my exhausted, post-comatose friend.

Reggie finished off both the drink and the food in under two minutes. I gaped at him. "Dude, what the fuck."

He winked at me, shooting Tlato and me a charming smirk. "Expert eater, my dear. Relax. Also, this place is awesome. Magical food? The best culinary experience I've ever had, besides the time I cooked at a four-star restaurant in the center of Los Angeles as part of my volunteering hours for the culinary program in my school."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "You're one of those fancy LA rich boys, aren't you? I'm just glad you're nice. Some of you guys are jerks." He laughed.

"Ouch, pretty girl. That hurts my feelings. Now come on, let's go meet your dad."

"I'd really rather not, but okay."

The three of us clambered out of the ICU after setting everything up for new patients and cleaning up any pre-existing clutter. Tlatoany walked ahead of me, Reggie trailing at my side. I didn't want to see my dad and be faced with disappointment at what I was, so I made my giant best friend walk in front. Most of the campers had congregated around my dad's fancy red sports car. I noted in the back of my head that it was a Maserati of the most egregious, disturbing shade of candy-apple red.

Our little trio slipped through the huge crowd, standing in front of the car, which gave off the kind of heat you'd expect in a metal-production factory. And just a little way away from the car, five steps closer to the closest people (who were my siblings), was my dad. My father. The god who was responsible for my existence. Apollo.

I know he definitely heard the rapid, almost painful pounding of my heart in my chest. How did I know that he heard? Because his eyes shot right towards me when I slightly turned towards him. Not a sound. I made no sound whatsoever except the faint shifting of my shirt, a noise which I didn't intend to make.

What did he look like? Let me tell you the best way I know. Imagine the hottest man from your country. I know a bunch of different people are reading this right now, so now combine the hottest men around the world, and that's my dad. Hair like literal wavy rays of light, eyes of solid gold, the kind of gorgeous face that could make demons fall in love, a smile that could blind Jesus, the body of a male model, and the style of a California surfer who was trying to get used to wearing clothes because he has to now travel in New York for work. Sunglasses hung on the collar of a simple white T-shirt that said "Death to cloudy days" in loopy yellow font, blue skinny jeans, highlighter yellow converse, and a black leather jacket with a giant sun pattern on the back. They would never fit together on a normal person, but he made them look amazing.

My heart stopped in my chest when he turned to me. I almost fell back into my friends when he took those first elegant steps towards me. The sea of people parted when he moved. My entire body shook so hard, I could see the tremble of my hands without looking down at them. I swallowed to try and make my mouth and throat not so dry, but that didn't work. The bottom eyelids of my eyes began to burn from the tears threatening to liberate themselves. Hyperventilation, thoughts of panic and eternal doom, stress, chest pains, the whole ordeal. _Oh,_ I realized with a horrified cough, _I'm having a panic attack about my dad speaking to me for the first time._

Apollo stopped four feet in front of me. For a guy that exuded smoothness and charm, his first words to me sounded clunky and uncomfortable. "Um. Uh, hello."

My terror lessened when I heard him. I was waiting for a statement of absolute disapproval and disappointment, not an awkward greeting. After recognizing his discomfort, I observed his behaviors more closely. Hands tucked into his pockets, shoulders high at his neck, eyes trained on my chin or lips rather than my eyes, lips tucked between perfect teeth, rocking forward and back. He was just as awkward as I was. He was just as scared and confused and uncomfortable. He had no idea how to deal with me, and neither did I with him. So, I took it in a stride and tried to make him feel more at ease with me. "Um, hey, Dad."

His eyes widened and met mine. I smiled as sweetly as possible, and he coughed, looking at the others. Everyone in the crowd hurried away, stopping when I called out, "Quick announcements about my sister at the campfire, guys. Return to your daily activities for this time of day. The search is off." The other campers frowned at one another in confusion, but they did as I suggested and went about their usual manner. Apollo did the same with my siblings, asking them to go to the cabin while he and I spoke a bit.

Apollo and I looked back at one another. He exhaled slowly a moment after. With another, calmer grin, he addressed me. "Sorry about that. Just…seeing you and trying to talk to you with this huge crowd. A bit weird."

I nodded. "I know entirely what you mean. I love spending time with people, but some conversations aren't meant to be shared."

He nodded slowly, tossing a weird look over my shoulder. I only realized then that Tlato and Reggie were still there. "Right, so uh, any reason these two are still hanging around? Not that I'm mad, just amused."

I laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah. Tlatoany is my best friend. Reggie just got out of his coma, so we decided to bring him out for dinner until Tlato realized you were here." My friends turned me around and gave me quick hugs.

"We'll see you at dinner, okay? I'll take care of Reggie, don't you worry. I'm sure he'll fit in fine with the Ares cabin until dinnertime," Tlato swore. My grin must have shocked him because he rolled his eyes and leaned down, pressing his right cheek to mine before hugging me again, tighter this time. I held onto him for dear life before letting go.

"Thanks, Tlato," I sighed. I grinned at them a bit longer, and then Reggie ruffled my hair while leaving.

Apollo smirked when I returned my focus to him. "So when's the big day?"

I laughed and looked away, rubbing my reddening cheeks. "Dad, come on! We're only fourteen. Besides, it's not like that. Tlato's my best friend. We had a really rough falling-out a few weeks ago, and we only just started speaking to each other today. I just really missed him," I huffed.

He chuckled. "Sureee, whatever you say, sweetheart. Well, mind taking a walk with me? We have a lot to talk about."

So, we strolled along the beach.

It was five minutes before he said anything again. "I know Will told you I wouldn't speak to you directly. I'm speaking now because I'm incredibly impressed at your control over your powers. The fact that you actually help to heal people rather than destroy them with that plague, it's remarkable, Anusha. It really is," he admitted.

My eyes remained in their fixed position, gazing at the sand in front of me as I walked. "Thanks, Dad."

Apollo sighed. "I've not been good to you, darling."

I pressed my chin to my chest to hide my face. I didn't want him to see just how emotional and uncontrollably weak I was getting.

He smiled softly, bumping my right shoulder with his. "Ya know, I'm also the god of knowledge. Kinda hard to hide stuff from me," teased the sun god. I could only chuckle wetly. Apollo continued speaking softly. "My plague-bringers always suffered a similar fate to the children of Hades. Shunned. Feared. Hated. Disgraced. Disrespected." His voice, which usually held this airy, nonchalant, whimsical tone, fell into a low and desolate mood. "They try their best, but no one wants to hear about the glories of someone who brings suffering wherever they walk."

I didn't have kids. I didn't even have a sibling I grew up with. All I had were my nieces, and they were born two years ago in rapid succession. I didn't know what it was like to love a kid so much that you'd donate the world to them. But Dad's tone of voice made me understand. It was like being proud of something you created. Something you hoped would change your community and eventually the world. You put your heart and soul into this project, aiming to bring a revolution or to make people happy or to make yourself happy. It's perfect now. After years of work, it's done. You put it out somewhere to look at, for yourself or for others, and you're so proud of yourself. And then someone comes and spits on it, insulting every aspect about it that you liked. They then destroy it because they claim it hurts people rather than helping them. How heartbroken would you be? Multiply that by a thousand, you'll get the heartache of Apollo, the god of plagues whose plague-bringing children never lived over the age of eighteen.

"There are no records of this, but I know very well that people have killed my children for their abilities. My healers like Will and Kayla will live. My archers like Austin and Davis will live. My photokinetics like Naomi can live. Hell, even my audiokinetics like Izzy can live. But my plague-bringers, they have to die…" Apollo pondered aloud, dejection dimming the heavenly glow surrounding his form.

I didn't dare touch him of my own accord, but I tried to look more closely at his face, wondering what he would say next.

He gave me one of those subdued smiles only parents give their children when the little one asks an innocent question with a depressing answer. He reached a scarred, steady hand out, gently brushing a thumb down my cheek. "What was it like speaking to your sister and predecessor?"

That question baffled me. "Dad, don't you already know everything?"

Apollo's laugh brightened the space around us. It was like seeing fire burst into giggles. "Of course I do. But what's the point in bonding if I'm the only one talking? Besides, everyone knows a conversation is a two-way street."

Okay, that made sense. "Alright. Fair point. Um, it was kinda cool. I didn't realize the process of communicating with spirits was so extensive, but Nico was a great help. He's one of my favorite people in camp. He brought my sister out to speak and left for a little while so I could talk to her in private. She was nice, albeit a little disinterested in life as a whole. I think she really lost all hope for any kind of happy future when she was young, so she didn't care about anything as a young adult. She told me how she was claimed, how she went to wherever Camp Half-Blood was in the Dark Ages. She trained for a while, but I don't think it did her much good. Her powers were out of control," I orated.

The god of the sun listened patiently, hands clasped behind his back as we roamed the seashore. "What did she say about me?" he mused.

I grinned at him. "She said you were a bit too full of yourself when you guys met, but that you gave great hugs."

He simultaneously seemed to express unfettered indignation and unfeigned adoration at the same time, which looked really weird to the young me, who didn't understand parenthood at all beyond knowing that babies are gross. I laughed and snickered, bent over at the waist upon simply peeking at my dad's expression. He pouted. "Oh, come on. It's not _that_ funny!"

Between my bouts of amusement, I squeaked out, "Oh, but it is!" To which, my dad rolled his eyes.

"You really are the meanest of my kids." I shrugged at the comment and smirked.

"Maybe. But I'm also the funniest, so it makes up for it."

He shot me a wicked grin. "Oh, honey. Was that your attempt at comedy? A pitiful attempt, no offense. I should introduce you to Thalia. She's an actual jokester, as the Muse of Comedy." We paused a moment and simply gawked at one another until we both burst into loud laughter, clutching our sides and wheezing with amusement.

We rubbed away our tears of hilarity, grinning like fools in the darkness illuminated only by Apollo's blazing light.

In one impulsive move, my dad stretched his arms and grabbed me into a hug, holding me tight to his chest. After a singular beat of disbelief, I flung my arms around his waist and burrowed my face into his chest. I didn't cry. I didn't even sniffle. I stayed as still as possible and let my dad crush my bones in his hug. A few times, I felt my tears rise in my eyes because of the sheer contentment of having my dad in my life again, but Apollo rubbed my back and raked his fingers through my hair until I calmed down. I didn't think too much in that long-ass hug. I only thought about how he smelled like lemon balm tea, anise, flowers, the sun on the grass during summer, fresh vanilla, and apple pie. And how hugging him felt like hugging life itself, so bright and warm and gentle and comforting. It was like being told I'm still capable of everything I want to do for my future, no matter what happened this summer.

He told me in that sweet, lilting voice of his, "Your mother wanted to keep me away because she felt I betrayed her. I did want to stay. She made me feel like I really did make people's lives better. But she wanted marriage and stability, and I could only give her the latter. I would have visited, my darling, I would have. My fear was that my presence would be so unwelcome, she would react in a way that would leave you in the crossfire of our argument, and I didn't want to risk your safety like that. I am so sorry, Anusha. I am so, so sorry," my father lamented.

I could only think to reply in my native tongue, the language that connected him to my mother and subsequently gave me life when they fell in love. _"__Acchu, kuḻappamilla. Entukeāṇṭāṇ niṅṅaḷ aṅṅane ceytatenn enikk manas'silāyi. Enikk niṅṅaḷēāṭ dēṣyamilla. Niṅṅaḷkk vēgattil enṟeyaṭutt varān kaḻiyāttatil enikk saṅkaṭamuṇṭ. Kuṟaññat niṅṅaḷ ippēāḷ tāmasikkumēā?"_

Tearfully, Apollo pulled back from the hug to look me in the face, keeping his eyes locked into mine when he replied, honesty and sincerity spilling from every inch of his face, _"Niṅṅaḷ ennettanne āgrahikkunnatuvare ñān orikkaluṁ niṅṅaḷe upēkṣikkunnilla."_

I sniffled and smiled, rubbing at his tears until his face was dry again. "It's getting kinda late, and I'm running on nothing but a protein bar the size of Kansas, and a bottle of water. I'm about ready for some pasta and garlic bread. Care to join me at dinner, Dad?" came my query, accompanied by my cheekiest grin and my elbow held out to the sun god like a Victorian man escorting his sister to the balcony for some fresh air during a ball.

With a snort of laughter that would have been unattractive from anyone else, he hooked our elbows together and let me walk him to the Pavilion so he could sit with the rest of the Apollo cabin. But before joining the family, I left to speak to Chiron. Dad grinned and nodded in approval, giving me a thumbs-up as he turned to speak to one of my siblings.

As I wove my way through the huge group of people, I noticed Tlatoany and Reginald were already in the process of speaking to the ancient centaur. Tlato had just peeked over his shoulder for a quick second at something, a double-take promptly following upon seeing me. Both he and Reggie fervently argued something with Chiron, who seemed entirely disapproving and upset. I glided over, putting a hand on each boy's shoulder. "At ease, boys. I'm here. What's going on?"

Chiron sighed. "Anusha, while I understand you want to find your sister, you should have continued the search rather than begun thinking about a quest. Reginald has not been out of the infirmary but thirty minutes, and already he is talking about a quest!"

I sighed, nodding. "Sir, I get what you're saying. I do. But trust me when I say that Izzy won't be found, and the Hope situation won't be solved until this quest happens. I'm not insane. I'm not just making things up. I know I'm not the smartest person in camp, but if I can be so bold, my instincts are some of the best. My instincts kept me alive from the day I was born until now. I have no reason to doubt them just yet. Please, Chiron. Take my words as those of a person who never lies except to protect people. And in this situation, there is no one to protect. Please, sir. Please. For Izzy's sake. We can't search forever. We've gotten signs from all angles, Chiron. We can't ignore those signs."

The man massaged his temples, closing his eyes for some peace of mind. He finally relented when he realized how set on this we were. "Fine." My two idiotic guys and I grinned like sharks. "You can have a quest. But first, consult the Oracle. Only if Rachel has anything for you, may you go on your quest."

We cheered. "Thank you, Chiron!" we exclaimed on our runs back to our tables. Tlato and I left Reggie to his family so he could have that bonding experience. Tlato rushed off to the Ares cabin, and I braced myself to sit with my siblings and dad.

He seemed as somber as he was when telling me about the other plague-bringers from the old days. I slowly sat down at the corner seat of the bench across from his. "Dad? Are you okay?" I dared to ask.

Apollo's reaction time slowed greatly from his grief. So much loss and so much love in one day. I knew exactly what he was experiencing. He gave me that melancholy look again. "I'm fine, sweetie. Just…your little sister, Izzy. I'm hearing her call for me. It burns my heart to know she's in such a state," he confided. I leaned over the table, grasping his hands in mine. I focused on his eyes. "I swear, I will do whatever is necessary to bring her home, Dad. I swear it." His halfhearted smile gave me hope. I pressed a kiss to his cheek and sat down again.

With a little chuckle, he patted my hands, the light slowly restored to his face. "Thank you, sweetheart."

One of my brothers, a sour guy my age named Melvin Hart, inquired openly why Dad seemed older than usual. I thought that was kind of rude, but Apollo hummed like the comment didn't matter much. "Each of my children sees me differently. Some of you see me as the young surfer type. Some of you see me as more the charming early-thirties doctor who's also a model. Anusha sees me as the mid-thirties singer and songwriter with a propensity for getting involved in too many interests and also sometimes getting really mad for the right reasons."

I blushed pink at the announcement of how I perceived my own dad, but Naomi seemed to love it, giggling quietly. "Anu is seriously the cutest. She's always so happy to call herself a daughter of Apollo."

And only halfway through dinner did I realize I never made the announcement to the other campers. After taking a long sip of my sparkling apple cider did I stand on that same chair from before and speak. "Camp Half-Blood!" After the loud conversations simmered down to hushed murmurs, I continued.

"I thank you all for your incredible hard work in trying to help me find my little sister. We have a new camper among us, in fact. Reginald leBlanc, welcome to Camp Half-Blood! We're so happy to have you here. I sincerely thank my amazing siblings and Tlatoany, Sherman, and Mark from the Ares cabin, and last but certainly not least, my father, Apollo. You all contributed so much to saving my friend. I have realized since Reggie came out of his coma that a quest is in order. To bring Izzy back to camp, we have to go on a quest. Tlatoany, Reginald, and I have discussed the details already. We know what is involved. Tlatoany received the first part of the prophecy. We have yet to ask for the second part if there is one. That will happen tomorrow. Based on Rachel Dare's response, we'll decide whether or not to go on the quest. I once again thank everyone for your cooperation and assistance these past two days. Your effort and support are invaluable to me. Thank you!" While getting down from the chair, I got a few claps, a few cheers, some teases, but mostly sighs of gratitude for not having to search more.

Dad high-fived me when I returned to the table, his smile dazzling enough to make Times Square seem like a dim oil lamp, in comparison. "That was some good public speaking, kiddo. Where'd you pick that up?"

With a fake cough, Nico slid into the seat beside me, smirking as he threw an arm over my shoulders. "I think that answer is pretty obvious, sir. She gets her work ethic from Will, but her communication skills from me," he joked.

Will snorted. "Right. If she picked up your communication skills, she'd still be sitting in the Hermes cabin all alone and not eating dinner with us."

The son of Hades huffed. "Real nice of you, Solace. You definitely inherited your dad's sense of sass."

Dad didn't seem perturbed by the disagreement or the jokes at his expense, only cackling to himself when he thought no one was looking.

But, his amusement came to an abrupt end when Rachel Elizabeth Dare walked towards our table, sickly green smoke slipping from her mouth, and her eyes glowing a similar color. What shocked me was that the smoke and glowing eyes were the same color as my powers when I push disease out rather than pull it in. I knew exactly what this was. I stood up from my seat, and Nico moved back a little. Apollo watched with detachment.

She fixed on me when I stood before her. I looked down and then back at her. "I'm ready."

Rachel didn't sound like a young woman of around twenty years of age. She sounded like a smoker who magically turned into Siri.

"_First path taken,_

_Clever Giant, the War will awaken. _

_Second path known,_

_Rotten Sun shall brighten with glittering stone."_

Once again, like before, my interpretations of the prophecy flew into high-gear before I could stop myself. When the smoke stopped coming out, the young lady collapsed. The only reason she didn't hit the floor was that my dad and I caught her before she could crack her skull on the stones.

We gently guided her to sit at the Apollo table, having her sip water from one of the chalices while Apollo checked over her and soothed her. I wasn't too worried about her. If Dad was here, Rachel would be fine. I was more worried about Izzy.

Tlatoany, Reginald, and I shared meaningful expressions. We would have to start this quest earlier than expected. Much earlier.

* * *

Dinner already contained so many different hitches that ruined it for me. I didn't hold any hopes that the rest of the day would be peaceful. So, I conversed with no one except myself. I kept quiet, kept my head down, and kept moving. Apollo definitely noticed, but he didn't say anything, letting me do as I pleased. Everyone winded down for bedtime, but Tlato, Reggie, and I met at the hearth, waving to the little figure in the fire before speaking.

The hearth was the most comforting place in the entire camp. Warmth and comfortable seats and a gentle breeze. It was perfect. Not to mention, the presence of the goddess Hestia made things even more soothing around the hearth. Her homely nature softened everything in her proximity. To some, she looks like an older woman, maybe a mother of adults. To me, she looked like a teenager with a sweet, round face and eyes of amber.

When we approached the marble seats, she beamed at us, giving a little wave as a 'hello', only to melt into the flames a second later.

Tlato and Reggie both wore pointed looks on their faces, expecting me to say something. Tlato began awkwardly, "Uh, so what did that one mean? You broke down every part of the first one. What about this one?"

I sighed and shook my head. "I need more time to think about it. It's so new, and we have no connecting info. Besides, I'm exhausted out of my mind. I have never slept less than eight hours before. The world could be ending, and I will still be asleep tonight. That's what's going down." Like before, the two young men shared a few looks, almost like they were capable of telepathy.

"Alright. If you say so. Think about it, and if you still have no ideas, we'll meet up and talk it out. Okay?" Reggie consoled.

My head bobbed in affirmation, and I waved at them. "Goodnight, guys. Sleep well." Tlato stood to give me one of his 'Everything will be okay' hugs. Reggie did something similar, hugging my head to his chest with one elbow hooked behind my neck and the other arm over my back. He murmured something inaudible and lovely in a different language before releasing me.

I attempted to smile at my friends, but it didn't really work. I felt dead.

This wasn't normal for me, wanting to be alone and not spend time with anyone. It wasn't who I was. But it felt right, and it kept me calm, so that's what I did for the rest of the night. I didn't even go inside the cabin. I hung out on the veranda and sat in a chair while thinking about the most recent prophecy.

I mumbled to myself, interpreting every line carefully. Well, the set of lines because the first and third lines had only three words each.

"'First path taken, Clever Giant, the War will awaken'," I recited to the open air. I started muttering my train of thought under my breath so no one would hear my ideas, not even my quest companions. "What does that mean? First path taken…maybe it means the first journey of two? Because it says 'Second path known' in the third line…" It clicked a moment later. We would have to fail. The first path taken means we'll go that route. We'll do some stuff. Tlato will wake up some kind of monster. Maybe the goat-man? The second path being known means we didn't know the first path, we just took it. So, if we go on one without knowing and then go on the second with knowing, then we'd have to fail the first time.

With a little creak and a soft crack, the front door of the cabin opened, revealing Apollo, now dressed in soft cottony pajamas with little yellow and orange suns all over them. He stepped forward, leaning forward against the railing beside me. He didn't speak at all, staying silent for the time being. A couple of minutes in, he moved to sit in one of the chairs across from mine, a small circular table separating us. He smiled that Dad Smile again. "Busy at work, I see."

"Yeah. Lots to worry about now," I gruffly replied.

He nodded. "Understandable…not planning on telling the boys, eh?"

My hands went up to rub my eyes, and I nodded. "Yeah. If I'm gonna be straying from the truth, this is probably what it means. For the quest to go right, we gotta fail the first time around." Apollo silently contemplated my words while conjuring up two water bottles for us out of thin air. I hurried to open mine, gulping down water as if I'd spent the summer in the desert.

"Very good. Quite smart, really. Not that I approve of you lying to your friends, but the way you're working through the prophecies is admirable," Apollo stated. I could see the concern slowly growing in his eyes. The wrinkle of his eyebrows, the fine downturn of his lips, the narrowing of his pupils.

"It's fine, Dad. I'll manage somehow. I always do."

With a shrug, he moved onto the next topic of conversation quickly, sensing I didn't want to talk about the dishonesty of hiding these plans I had for the quest. "So. Next two lines. What do those mean, do you think?"

I tapped my lips rhythmically, switching positions to instead tap out a beat on the table. Apollo grooved with it, humming softly. "'Second path known, Rotten Sun shall brighten with glittering stone.' Rotten Sun is obviously me. But a glittering stone? Maybe it means something that can produce light. It might not be that literal, but it's highly possible. The first half I think is about leadership. The first time, Tlato will lead. The second time, I'll lead. But the glittering stone part seems unclear. I'll have to keep a look out for stuff about gems and diamonds and such," I decided.

Apollo patted my hand with a brilliant grin. "Very good plan, honey. But you are clearly seconds away from passing out yourself, and you've been up since nine on five hours of sleep. Let's get you into bed, yeah?" I completely agreed, letting my dad pull me up from my seat and guide me into the cabin. I finished the last section of my nightly routine and climbed into bed, smiling pathetically bright when Dad went around the cabin, kissing everyone's cheeks and heads and giving each sibling a personalized goodnight. He did the same for me, kissing my cheeks and brushing our noses together while wishing me goodnight in Malayalam. It was the best moment of my day.

He smiled and pressed a hand to the side of my face as I laid my head on the pillow. "Love you, Acchu. Goodnight," I murmured. Will grunted out, "Bless you." Dad and I snickered.

"That wasn't a sneeze, but thanks, Will," I called out tiredly. He grunted at me again, and everyone fell asleep. Dad got into one of the beds and lied down, but I don't think he was sleeping. Can gods sleep? I didn't know, but it was funny to think they didn't.

Let me tell you guys. That was the best sleep I had ever had in my entire life. Forget sleeping after a long workout or a shitty day at school. This sleep was the supreme sleep. The heavenly sleep. The perfect sleep.

Too bad it only lasted eight hours, because the morning brought even more stress about the quest than I already had.

Like the fact that the Hope necklace was speaking to Reggie.

* * *

Translations:

Malayalam to English

_Acchu, kuḻappamilla. Entukeāṇṭāṇ niṅṅaḷ ceytatenn enikk kr̥tyamāyi manas'silāyi. Enne surakṣitamāyi sūkṣikkān śramiccatin enikk niṅṅaḷēāṭ dēṣyamilla. Niṅṅaḷ ippēāḷ atinṟe bhāgamāyatināl niṅṅaḷ enṟe jīvitattil tuṭarumēā?  
_Dad, it's okay. I understand exactly why you did what you did. I'm not angry at you for trying to keep me safe. But will you stay in my life now that you're a part of it?

_Niṅṅaḷ ennettanne āgrahikkunnatuvare ñān orikkaluṁ niṅṅaḷe upēkṣikkunnilla.  
_I'm never leaving you until you yourself want me to.


	11. Even Gods Need Family Time

The dreamless sleep that night kept me functioning and in better shape than I anticipated the next morning. I got up comfortably at six, about an hour before dawn, and climbed out of my bed. Sleeping top bunk can prove difficult when it comes time for cabin inspections, primarily because having to make your bed when you sleep top bunk is basically impossible. No one noticed me exiting the cabin with my toiletries, not even my dad, who'd passed out on one of the bottom bunks. I didn't think gods slept, but if Malcolm's stories were anything to go by, even the all-powerful earth goddess needed to catch her z's once in a while.

My feet carried me all the way to the bathroom, where I took my time to put in my contacts and brush my teeth and wash off all the oil that had accumulated in my skin during the night. After washing up, I dropped off my items back under my bed where they remained when not in use before starting the journey to my favorite place in all of camp.

It was a half-hour before sunrise when I reached the peak of the hill and began my sun salutations. No thoughts or stresses plagued me at that time, pun intended. My dad's mere presence in my life fully restarted my health and well-being. I was doing so great, even though my sadness at having lost my baby sister to those creepy intruders hadn't yet left my mind.

I finished the last repetition of the sun salutations just after the sun peeked over the horizon in its brilliant, blazing 'hello'. My routine ended, and I sat down to enjoy the sunrise when a cracking noise, like someone stepping on a twig, made me nearly jump out of my skin.

My head whipped around to search for what caused that sound, realizing within seconds that it was my father, who smiled warmly while walking up the pathway to sit beside me on my hilltop.

"Mind if I join you?" came his first words of the day. His voice sounded far deeper at that moment than it did yesterday. I shook my head, scooting over one foot to let him sit comfortably on the ground.

We didn't need to speak if I'm being entirely honest. Just being at his side, I felt at peace. I felt like I was home. A question slipped free from my lips without permission. "Wait, if you're here, how's the sun rising?!" I exclaimed.

My dad laughed for several minutes, the music in his bones unintentionally leaving his lips during his amusement. "Sweetheart, my sun chariot turns into many things, including the red Maserati. It can become whatever I want. It isn't the actual Sun like the ancients thought. It was the Sun's influence on Earth. Kind of hard to explain. Yes, the sun produces heat and is still in space. It hasn't moved. If it did, most of humanity would be incinerated or frozen to death. But its ability to bring joy and life and health to Earth is what I kind of control. I'm here because one of the other sun deities offered to take over for me. I had asked Ra, but he said he had other matters to handle in his kingdom, so Surya offered to take over for these few days, so long as I do the same for him when he asks."

I really couldn't believe what I was hearing. "How many gods are there?"

He grinned. "As many as humanity wants, really. But don't boil your brains about it. Trying to understand all that stuff is not worth losing your sanity, sweetheart."

With a nod of understanding, I let the topic go. "Alrighty then. So um, good morning."

Apollo tossed his head back, once again losing himself to hilarity, smiling too big and shining too bright. He relaxed again, curling a huge arm around my shoulders. "Good morning to you too, honey. By the way, I love that you speak to me every morning. This kind of stuff gets to me real hard. Knowing that one of my kids is so affectionate to me, even if I never participated in her life…" My glorious father sighed and pressed a strong kiss to my temple. "It lifts a weight off of my chest, Anusha. I'm glad I was able to meet you and speak to you yesterday. That was one of the best parts of my day, besides returning and seeing all of my other kids too."

I couldn't suppress my smile. "I'm just happy you're back, Dad. It's so good to have you around since Mom stopped talking to me altogether," I admitted.

His expression unnerved me, but not letting him see my fear mattered greatly to me at that point. I wanted my dad to think I was brave, unshakeable, perfect. And, thinking about it now, that's simply not possible.

All beings are flawed. Hell, I am probably more flawed than most people. But nothing in this world is perfect. Perfection is a symptom of hateful, self-obsessed, authoritarian societies that want to make their people suffer and strive for an ideal that can never be reached so that outsiders who don't attempt to do the same and who avoid succumbing to the rule of the powerful few are ostracized, further maintaining the status quo of the powerful and the powerless.

But I was fourteen, and I wanted my dad to think I was awesome and badass, so I just tried my hardest to seem brave. He huffed. "I know she hasn't been speaking to you. I wish I could talk to her about it and make her explain herself, but…"

I snickered. "But she is more stubborn than an ox? Dad, come on. I get all my stubbornness from her. I know that. I don't know what's up with her, but I'll check on her at least once during the quest. Just to make sure she hasn't endured any of the attacks I had to deal with. Hopefully, those assholes didn't yet target her to get to me."

Apollo rolled his eyes before snorting. "They kidnapped your sister while she was safe in Camp. If that doesn't get them your attention, nothing will," he retorted.

"Eh, fair enough. Well, it's getting to be about seven-fifteen. I usually go down to train with Tlatoany," I paused to look at the base of the hill over my shoulder, but didn't spot the giant frame of my best friend. "But I don't see him down there. Everyone's so tired. I don't blame him."

Dad's eyes sparkled with mirth. "How about I train you? Just for today! I know you want to leave tomorrow." When I hesitated, he groaned. "Please, Anusha? Think of this as our bonding experience for today! Please?" I couldn't say no to his pleading face. I would have felt like I was committing a major sin if I still refused his offer. Besides, I was getting the opportunity of a lifetime. The sun god, one of the greatest warriors of Olympus, was asking to train me. Like, OF COURSE, I SAID YES! I'm not insane enough to say no to that!

Training with my dad was so hard, but like, it was the best training session I ever had in my whole life. Every new thing I learned about him appeared mind-blowing to me, probably because I never met him and because he's, you know, a literal god. He pushed me a bit further than I usually let Tlatoany push me, but Dad made it fun. He turned everything into a game, something to win and learn and lose at each activity.

He said he despised running, that it was more his sister's thing. I naturally knew he meant Lady Artemis, who is the goddess of the hunt. So, we started off by doing a quick set of laps along the canoe lake's length before jumping right into the water.

He legit ran like a cheetah after we decided to go to the lake, flying ahead of me like the wind. I forced myself to catch up. By the time we reached the docks, I was panting like mad and barely standing up. Apollo stared down at me with an amused grin. "Sweetheart, I know just as well as anyone that you can take all that physical suffering away. Now do that and hurry up. This is gonna be some hard work for you," he promised. It sounded a lot more terrifying when he said it, but I couldn't deny my excitement at being able to spend an entire hour with him.

So, I slowly calmed my breathing and drained the exhaustion and fatigue and muscle strain out of my limbs, transferring that mess to my knives. "Do you always keep those on you?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. Of course, I do. They're my prized possessions," I replied, somewhat bewildered that he asked such a question. Most demigods keep their weapon on them at all times. Probably not in the shower, where deadly accidents occur frequently, to begin with. (Let's just say I've had more than a few slips in the shower from accidentally spilling too much of my body wash on the tiles.) But danger can strike at any moment, so preparation was key, or so we were taught. "Not to mention, monster attacks or random brawls can happen at any time, especially now that I have a bunch of friends in the Ares cabin. Not bad kids, but some of them like to fight for no reason."

Apollo hummed at that, tapping his chin as he stood on the docs and waited for me to get situated. "I have an idea. Can I see your knives really quickly?"

Unsure of his intentions, I gingerly unsheathed the two knives and placed them in his hands, watching his every movement deliberately. Dad smiled and stroked a hand along each of them gently and snapped his fingers, turning the knives into pure black drum sticks, gold stripes lining the bottom edge, the tip, and the middle crease and beautiful purple roses and green leaves embellishing the length of the wooden sticks. The sticks enchanted me.

Apollo held them out to me, grinning like he'd just won the "Best Person To Ever Exist" award. Which, in my eyes, he did. I never really pursued learning to play the drums in school. It always seemed like something I couldn't do. I never did great in a crowd since I didn't have many friends, so trying to participate in my school's drumline group was out of the question. But for this upcoming school year? I had friends. I had confidence. I had skill. I had determination. And I had hope. My smile was too big as I hesitantly grasped my new favorite objects in the world. They weighed the right amount and had this amazing, almost marble-like texture, but with enough roughness that I could grasp them without dropping them, even if my hands were wet. I laughed weakly and held them to my face in a hug as if coddling a little tiny puppy. My dad chuckled to himself.

"You're welcome, baby girl. Now try twirling them. Just do it however it feels right." This comment really threw me off, but I twirled the sticks like I saw some rock band drummers do at those huge concerts with a million attendees. I almost dropped them when they turned into my knives, my hands now grasping the handles of the blades tightly. I squealed. I twirled the blades again to turn them back into drum sticks.

I threw myself at my dad, tossing both arms around him and hanging on for dear life as he spun me around. This is the one huge advantage of having a god for a dad. They can always carry you no matter how much you grow.

"THANKS, DAD!" I shouted happily while dancing around like a fool. Apollo let out a few snorts and a few snickers, rolling his eyes.

"You're welcome, honey. Do you wanna get back to training now?" I giggled, nodding at the question. Tucking the two sticks into one of the loops for my knives, I shook off the remainder of the exhilarated joy and got serious again, ready for more of the challenges ahead. I didn't want to disappoint my dad when he gave me such an amazing opportunity that few demigods got from their parents. Obviously, Apollo knew what I was thinking when he cooed softly at me and rubbed my back. "Anusha, I'm doing this to spend time with you and make sure you get your training in. Not to judge you or test you. You're still my baby. My place in your life isn't to pass judgment. It's to guide you and make sure you're on the right path, no matter the destination."

Just that little statement almost had me bursting into tears again, but I smiled instead. "You're seriously the best, Dad. Love you."

He beamed, kissing my temple. "Love you too, hon." Apollo braced himself like a swimmer about to dive off the board. "You ready for this?"

I smirked. "When am I ever?" With a laugh, we leaped into the almost frigid waters of the lake, quickly swimming to the surface for air. While doing a preliminary scan for diseases like I do with most places around Camp, I almost gagged at the levels of bacteria and other pathogens floating around in the water. "Hold on, Dad. This lake is kinda gross." I swam up to the shore and stood in the sand to call all the disease and grossness to me. Just as Apollo reached the sand, I tucked the pathogens and diseases into my knives, shivering at the numerous disturbing worms and maladies I'd spotted while swimming.

We caught up again eventually and started swimming back and forth along the greatest diameter of the lake. After five sets of back and forth laps, we took a little break, where Apollo mused, "Seems like you've got really good control over the plague stuff. I have a few tricks I want to teach you with it. They may or may not come in handy."

I grinned. "Seriously, now you just sound like you're trying to make up for fourteen years of absence, Acchu," I laughed.

"Maybe I am." Apollo's whole demeanor slouched, including his tone of voice. "I was gone for fourteen years. Most of your current siblings were claimed the day they reached Camp. But you? I haven't seen you in fourteen years…How am I supposed to compensate for all of that?"

I let out a slow exhale and moved a bit closer, leaning against his side. "Remember how you said you're not here to judge me or test me? The same applies here. I'm your daughter. I love you anyway, Dad. You're here now. You're making an effort. You're speaking to me and being open and honest. That's more than I can say for Mom at the moment. I love her, but every relationship has to be a two-way street, and you're putting in the effort that most long-lost dads wouldn't. I couldn't ask for more."

My dad grunted. "Yeah, well, you should. I have so much to give, but I don't even know my kids well enough to give them what they want without asking what they like. That's not what a good parent does, Anu. I should have been more involved."

With a groan, I pulled him into a hug. "Acchu, come on. You guys are gods. You have limitations. We are humans. We have limitations. Sometimes, those limitations are hard to deal with, so we need to understand each other, especially since we're family. Yeah, it sucks that you weren't around earlier. I really wanted a dad my whole life. But you're here with me now. You promised to stick around. You're making an effort, and you regret not having spent more time. All of that shows a willingness to change and be better, and that's the true measure of a good person and of a good parent, okay? Relax, now. We need to finish training, and I still need my shower before breakfast."

"You are way better at talking down people than you're given credit for," Dad joked. He seemed a lot calmer then, not as high-strung and guilt-ridden.

I shrugged. "You learn to do it when you gotta teach a bunch of kids and middle schoolers. Part of the job description, really."

He nodded. "Yeah, probably true. Shall we?" We grinned at one another and resumed the swimming with a little jump, pushing off of the shallow bottom of the lake near the shore to get a bit of momentum. This back and forth continued for about twenty more minutes, when I was too tired to even move my finger. Apollo snickered and tapped my cheeks, making all of the fatigue disappear in seconds.

As we stepped out of the water, fully clothed and exhausted, I groaned. "This was a bad idea. Swimming with all of these clothes on. Dragged me down so much."

"Hey, it's like weightlifting in water. Builds muscle," suggested my dad.

I huffed. "More like hurts muscle." He snorted as we made our way out to the Arena for some sword-fighting practice, which had me SHOOK.

My dad has many, many epithets, one of which is _Chrysaor_, which refers not only to the pirate son of Poseidon and Medusa who popped out of the neck of the decapitated Gorgon, but also to a word that means "he who bears the golden sword". And my dad is probably one of the best swordsmen of Olympus. I mean no offense to the other gods, but my bias is strong, and I will never regret or be quiet about how much I love and respect my dad. He rocks. And frankly, his ears must be bleeding from all the compliments I'm giving him right now. (My dad may be dramatic, but that's who he is, and I love him for it. We stan a sassy Olympian.)

Back to my point.

My dad is a great swordsman. I have only been using real weapons for maybe a month total. Saying I was underprepared would be a vast understatement.

He conjured from thin air a fairly massive golden sword, the base of the blade engraved with all kinds of beautiful Greek letters and symbols. The hilt's leather squeaked occasionally as my dad turned the blade over a few times in his hands, trying to get comfortable with the weight and balance. I swallowed nervously, trying to focus on getting a feel for my own weapons while in a panic about getting whooped by my dad. I knew he wouldn't fight with unnecessary force and harshness, but I still had reason to fear. I'd never fought anyone above my own level before, especially not someone so far above my level and above the level of everyone else in camp.

I was literally seconds away from dying of anxiety. So what did I do? I tossed my head back and screamed with all my might. Cabin Seven often compared that moment to if a seal ever ate something spicy and screamed like the Spiderman guy from Vine.

"Anusha, what the hell are you doing?!" my dad interjected, pure confusion seeping from his features. He wore the face of a tired mother watching her child have a temper tantrum in the silverware and dining aisle of a Target.

After calming down, I replied sweetly, "Just trying to chill out. I was gonna explode with anxiety, but that helped!" He gave me a look like, 'Please tell me that didn't just happen' before pressing his fingers to his temples.

"Is being weird part of being a plague-bringer, or is that just you?"

I shrugged. "You created me. You should know that. I cannot know myself beyond the scope of my senses and thoughts, so you're really on your own here."

"Fair enough. Alright. At arms, sweetheart." My dad grinned with a little bit of crazy. "Let's see just how much you've learned these past few weeks."

* * *

If you have never fought a god, let me give you a piece of advice: Don't. It isn't worth it. It really isn't. For most people, it would be a death sentence. For me, it was bonding time with my dad, but also the best ass-whooping I ever received. I learned so much from that one fight. It's actually quite remarkable that I enjoyed my defeat. Well, half-defeat. I still got a couple of acceptable hits on him, so that's some respect points I earned around Camp that summer. And for the rest of my life.

It started like this.

We circled each other, him staring me down as hard as possible, and me giggling and humming like a fool. Just because I'm in a fight doesn't mean I can't have fun. I put in one earbud and put on my favorite Desi music playlist on Spotify and jammed out within limits. I didn't want to lose the fight, even though I knew I would.

Most people think that music is a loud distraction that'll make you lose a fight. For me, it's the opposite. When I'm training or practicing with my weapons on my own, which happens often these days, I listen to music to stay calm. At the beginning of my discovery of what music I enjoy, I used music to keep my anxiety and nausea from debilitating me. Now, whenever I fight, I need music to get into the rhythm of back and forth with my partner. I actually usually align my foot movements to the beat of the percussion and align my hand movements to the flow of the lyrics. It changes sometimes, based on whether a certain part of the song has lyrics or not, but that's the general rule.

My dad appeared confounded that I was listening to music while fighting him, but he let me do as I liked, simply focusing on how to take me down while still transforming me into a better fighter.

He made the first move so I had time to think about my training and lessons with Nico and Tlatoany. Apollo lunged forward, trying to cut at me while also aiming to disarm me. I didn't give him the chance, instead rolling under him after getting a cut to his chest to distract him. When I popped up behind him, Dad whipped around over his right shoulder for another attack, but I moved to his right, staying behind him the entire time. And with careful execution, I dropped to the ground, hooked an ankle around his, and pulled him down while sliding forward under his legs again. With an awkward yell, he hit the ground, sword weakly held in his dominant hand. I yanked it free and tucked one of my knives away in its sheath, now holding a giant sword and a knife.

My dad squinted at me. "I see we have a little thief here," he teased. I smirked.

"What's a girl to do?" I retorted. He laughed and jumped up, both fists held near his face in a boxing stance. We circled each other again, this time with me trying to keep the sword and knife in even balance so I could use them correctly. That didn't last very long because, the moment I thought I was ready to use both at the same time, Apollo rushed in and snatched them away, maneuvering around my arms and grip to take them back with a few shoves to my arms and a kick to my ankle. And a beat later, he smirked back at me, eyes shining with victory. "Hey!" I protested. He taunted me, and I braced myself to go back in to retrieve my knife. My music grew louder, and I pushed the earbud in more firmly.

The landing of each percussive beat and the sweeping flow of each line filled my ears. Oh, I was ready. I fell into the rhythm of the song as I returned to the fray, slashing and cutting and slicing through his defense. Having two weapons helped him keep me on my toes, but my height, or lack thereof, proved just as much of an advantage. With each attack, he stumbled a step back, eyes narrowing on my techniques.

I was so close. I gave him a hard kick to the chest and slid my hand along his forearm to grab the handle of Istoria and snap it sideways along a crescent towards me. I grinned brightly. I got it back from him.

Dad gaped and then laughed happily. "Good job!" His eyes almost glowed. "But you haven't won just yet. You know the usual rules. A sword to the throat and you've won."

Whining and pouting, I held my knives at the ready once again, waiting for his attack, which never came. He snickered. "Come on. I can't be attacking all the time. You make the first move this time!"

Well, that wasn't good to hear.

My first move was stupid. What did I do? I used my powers to fill up my knives and give them enough disease that moisture from the atmosphere collected onto the knives and combined with the overflow of disease to make a kind of hyper-toxic coating on the blades. Due to the excess liquid of the coating, droplets that hit the ground caused the plants and debris to hiss from the rapid breakdown of material. And with those disease-oversaturated knives, I rushed at my dad and went straight for his neck. He blocked in time, his sword smoking from his own powers. We locked eyes, his blazing gold glaring into my own bronze-speckled burnt caramel. The moment I decided to use my powers in the fight, the concept of mercy extinguished in our minds.

Dad pushed me off with a grunt, leaving me to catch myself to avoid stumbling. Our eyes met like the clash of metal during war: harsh, unmoving, and ruthless. I bared my teeth, and he sneered back at me. Just as sweet as my dad was, I knew there was more to him.

To most people, Apollo is just super chill, not really anybody serious. Happy-go-lucky, uncaring about most things, whimsical, almost childish. To my siblings, Apollo is sweet and caring and bright, always willing to help and comfort and coddle anyone who needs it. To the other campers, Apollo is another god. No one super special, just another of the Olympians, but still worthy of respect. To my mom, Apollo was a traitor, a cheater, a manipulative bastard. To me? He was more than those. Yes, he was my dad, but he was a remarkable god.

Most of the Olympians have their two main aspects, Greek and Roman. They are fairly similar, but with a few key differences. This is not an insult. This is just a fact. Frankly, my dad has many different aspects. He's practically the god of contradiction. Sunrise and sunset. Medicine and plague. Civilization and annihilation. Life and death. Hell, his name means 'destroyer', but he's the god of healing. My dad had so much more to him than most people saw or cared to acknowledge. My siblings don't want to see him as the enraged god who destroyed the Greek army with a plague when the daughter of his Trojan priest was kidnapped by Agamemnon. The other campers don't want to imagine him as the righteously vengeful young son of Leto who killed Python for hunting down his mother. Even Chiron doesn't want to perceive him as the heartbroken father of Aesclepius who slew the Cyclops in response to Zeus killing the god of medicine for bringing too many people back to life.

In my eyes, Apollo was just as much the nurturing caretaker of civilization as the wrath-laden god of the sun who could smite cities with but a wave of his hand. And when fighting him, I saw that. I knew he wasn't angry at me. He had asked me to attack, and I did. Rather, I saw the terrifying destructive power he hid away from the world most of the time. I wasn't afraid of it or disturbed by it. I was fascinated and curious. Probably not the best idea, but it's the truth.

As soon as I gained some balance and traction, Apollo rushed at me again, sword flying to attack my different weak spots: the opening under my left arm, the underside of my right knee, the base of my spine, the crook of my hip, the soft spot behind my shoulders and right under my triceps. So many undefended areas. But I was able to block them. Not with ease, no. My dad was a god and an expert sword-fighter. I made it through those specific attacks because my instincts made me hyper-aware of any movements I didn't make.

With each meeting of our blades, green smoke and purple glow erupted around us. Green smoke from Dad giving off disease. Purple light from me absorbing it to use against him. At one point, even I began emanating the smoke since my dad's mere presence made my powers more erratic and uncontrollable. We didn't realize how much time had passed since we began sparring. Dad and I took a short break, only to see a circle of demigods intent on watching us fight. Tlatoany and Reginald sprinted towards the crowd, making everyone give us a ten-foot-wide circle so we wouldn't end up hurting anyone with the constant use of disease and plague.

The funny thing is, my dad and I were using the same powers to fight each other, so neither of us were affected. His plagues didn't even make me cough, and mine barely made him rub his nose from discomfort. By no means were we evenly matched. I was way less skilled than my dad was. But our use of our abilities and our blocking of each other's techniques prevented any major injury. And, probably Apollo was holding back a little. I was still a child, mind you. A fourteen-year-old with the muscle mass of a newborn elephant calf.

We jumped in again as soon as the circle grew wider, the gold of his sword digging into the bronze of my knives as I tried to block a heavy aerial attack. I am short, and so he had that advantage. If he had attacked from any higher, I probably would have gotten crushed or would have fallen really hard, given that Apollo didn't actually attack with maliciousness. I leaped back to free myself and slashed at his left shoulder, dropping to my knees so I could roll under his legs and get him in the back. He yelped in shock and whipped around to squint at me. I gave him my worst shit-eating grin, and Apollo huffed. "Learned that from di Angelo, did you?"

I smirked. "A student is only as good as their teacher."

Dad rolled his eyes. "I see you inherited my dramatic flair. Good to know."

He snorted when I shot back with, "Yeah, but I also inherited your ego, so there's that too." Retrospectively, I worried I had gone too far, but Apollo laughed broadly, pride and amusement clearly visible in his eyes.

"All the snark and ego of my old self. Quite impressive, hon," he joked while trying to stab me through the chest. I held him off while we kept talking, moving back and forth in a dance of danger. It was pretty fun until he finally beat me, his sword pressed to my chin. I didn't really get any real advantage against him, but I did get a few slashes and scratches, and I kept surprising him, which felt great to do. In the end, Dad won. Obviously. He's a god. But, I was so proud to have been able to get a couple of fairly good blows on him during the fight. Apollo helped me up off the ground and grinned widely, throwing both arms around me. "Still, a bit weird to see my old self in my kid. As for the fighting, not bad for someone who only started learning to do this in early June," he teased. I grinned back at him, my arms curled around his waist.

"I try, Acchu. A girl's gotta do her best to make it out here," I joked back at him. Apollo chuckled and kissed the top of my head.

Tlatoany fake-coughed loudly. "_Ahem!_ While I hate to disturb this beautiful father-daughter moment, we all cannot walk anywhere until you guys remove the disease from the air, so could you do that, please? Thank you." His voice sounded way more relaxed than I assumed, but that was before I noticed his terrified expression. His eyes completely narrowed down on Apollo, and then I understood that my best friend was terrified of my dad. Understandable, really. My dad was pretty damn powerful and important. I think we only forgot about the disease-laden smoke in the air because we could both breathe it in without any worry of illness or infection.

Apollo and I glanced at each other. "Do you need this stuff for your knives, honey? I mean, I know you collect and maintain your stock on the daily, but if you don't mind, I'd like to take some for my arrows."

I shook my head, putting my hands up in surrender. "No problem at all, Dad. Not really gonna use it. Still plenty of stuff to pick up from everywhere. I'll be fine. But I'd like to keep the worms and stuff I picked up from the lake. Something a bit exotic besides the usual botulism and smallpox, ya know?" I could spot Tlato and Reggie's disturbed expressions from the edge of the crowd, where they stood within my peripheral vision.

He shrugged. "Sure. If you want. Shall we?"

The two of us stepped away to get some room to move and began collecting the disease to ourselves, each picking out what they wanted from the air. With each movement, the air grew clearer and clearer. Apollo moved more like a dance, swaying his body and arms to a certain song I couldn't hear as he drew the plague and smoke to him. I stood like a damn tree, holding my arms out with my hands open and pointing kind of at the ground as if asking the earth for a hug. Medically, it would be called supine position, only I didn't stand on my tippy toes.

Once we determined it was safe enough for the others to move around again, Tlato and Reginald approached us, asking to borrow me for a second. Dad nodded, advising that I take a shower before doing anything else. The boys walked with me to the Apollo cabin while Acchu headed to the Big House.

* * *

"What the fuck is happening with you two?" is the first thing I said.

My siblings were all off doing their own morning routines. I was alone with the boys (but not really because I knew my dad was listening out of concern for my safety and out of curiosity) in the cabin. I sat down at one of the desks while my two friends explained what was going on.

Reginald and Tlato waited to tell me this whole thing until after my sparring session with my dad rather than right after it happened. What happened was that Reginald also spoke to the necklace. In his case, the entity was a lot more excitable and energetic, ready to spill some tea in its usual, cryptic way. I hadn't spoken to it at all since that counselor meeting, but it had told Reggie to bring Tlato and me over for a talk.

It said simply, "To give me life is to break me. To kill me is to keep me." And it didn't say anything else afterward, only going silent and waiting for Reggie to leave it alone.

"Fuck all of this!" is the last thing I said.

Tlatoany sighed. "So the quest is confirmed. How do we figure out where to start?"

I looked at him. "You're the leader of the quest, Tlato. You gotta figure that out. That's what the prophecy said. 'First path taken / Clever Giant the War will awaken.' Which means you have to plan this out. Use everything at your disposal. We'll help you, but this is your quest, man."

Reggie frowned. "Isn't that kinda harsh? This is his first quest, and you're giving him all of that responsibility? Pretty unfair, if you ask me."

"Dude, we have no idea what we're doing. Tlatoany got the first part of the prophecy on his first day at camp. Which means, he's the one to know how to handle all of this. How the fuck would we know where to even start? I mean, we can help, but neither of us has any clue as to what this all entails. He's been here the longest. He knows what's up."

Tlato nodded grimly. "I know how to handle this, Reginald. Don't worry too much. I was preparing for this before I even knew it. We'll need to make some pit stops at our parents' houses and stuff just to rest, but we'll be okay. I think I have an idea as to where to start with this." Clearly, Reggie didn't like the idea of Tlato handling this whole mission alone, but I had to make sure that happened. I had to make sure the big guy led the quest the first time around so I could have the do-over the second time. Otherwise, every plan I concocted would go to shit.

Reggie sighed. "Fine, if you say so. But please don't hesitate to ask us for help, Tlato, 'kay?"

My best friend smiled and hugged us both so tight that I could hear my spine cracking. "Thank you, guys. You're the best."

I smiled brightly. "You're quite welcome, buddy. Anyways, how were things with your dad and family yesterday? You never told me about that," I wondered aloud.

He sighed fondly. "It was so nice, Anu. My dad actually spent a long time with me, just talking and relaxing. I have never been so happy and so hurt at the same time," he admitted. I pulled back to press my right cheek to his.

"I'm so happy for you, dude. That's awesome."

We took a pause to stay in that position and wait, just breathing and keeping close. I pulled back once I knew he felt a bit better, which I confirmed upon seeing the soft upward curve of his smile.

Reginald frowned. "Why are you so sad? You just said you had a great time with your dad."

Tlato and I shared a look. I would speak. It probably hurt Tlatoany just to talk about what had happened yesterday.

I explained softly, "Reggie, Tlato's mom died at war. We did her funeral rites in the traditional Nahua, or Aztec, way yesterday. Lord Ares popped in, too. Nico, the son of Hades, presided over the ceremony. He did all the chanting and stuff. I was the master of the ceremony, which means I handled the different activities and some prayers. It was a really emotional moment. Tlato and I had a huge fight the day I was claimed, which is just when your godly parent says, 'That's my kid!' He hid the fact that I was a plague-bringer, and it was just a really bad situation. We didn't speak until yesterday. He discovered she had died about a week ago, but because I was angry, I had cut him off after that fight and never talked to him again. I got together with his siblings and Chiron and the others and set up the whole funerary ritual so he could say goodbye and give her the farewell she would have wanted. Tlato only just left the Ares cabin yesterday after almost a month of hiding away due to his mental health."

Reginald recognized the weight of the situation almost immediately, wrapping my best friend up into a tight, gentle hug, stroking his fingers through Tlato's long hair with smooth motions. "I do not know what you have lived through, my friend," Reggie began, "But I can sympathize with not being able to speak about something that hurts." He smiled gently, sitting next to Tlato to look him in the eyes. He took the son of Ares' huge hands into his own.

To my surprise, I saw something familiar in the fair-haired boy's eyes. I saw the trauma of seeing crime and feeling helpless.

I grew up in a bad area of Chicago. You could name any crime, and I've probably seen it. Robbery, murder, gang wars, drug deals, rape, prostitution, everything. I wasn't direct witness to all of those, but I'd seen my fair share of horrors, both in real life and on the news. (That's not to say I haven't done some bad things myself, but my actions actually were justified and happened only once as an act of vengeance against someone who hurt my mother so horribly, she was scarred for life.) I dealt with that trauma by keeping my head down and ignoring everything. I learned to blend in and hide in the shadows. It kept me safe and kept me out of trouble.

But, that didn't always work because some of my friends had siblings involved with drugs and prostitution. One of my closest female friends had an elder brother who left the biggest gang of the area to try and rehabilitate himself into regular society. The guy was a miracle in our community. I only participated in his success story because I tutored him in some school subjects when he was trying to get his GED to join the workforce after dropping out in sophomore year. I had a lot of respect for the guy. Whenever I needed anything, from an escort home after a long night spent at a friend's house to work on a group project, to a ride to Starbucks for a treat, the guy had my back. He became a true friend. He still is a true friend.

He, along with the rest of my friends, had a tight bond with me based on how many terrible things we'd seen in our home city. A lot of kids found friendship in that darkness, looking for warmth and comfort to keep us calm when danger arose near our homes. That camaraderie is something else.

I just told you all that random stuff to explain that, with the kind of shit I had witnessed since childhood, I saw that a survivor of similar circumstances lived in Reginald's eyes.

The young man started, "When I was younger, I saw my best friend's dad get killed in front of me. It was a familial vengeance kind of thing. We were playing a board game in my friend's room when we heard a struggle in the kitchen." Reggie stopped to breathe slowly in order to soothe away the tears that had risen in his eyes. He continued, "The two of us rushed downstairs and found his dad, bleeding from multiple stab wounds and leaned against the bottom cupboards, straining to breathe. We were so young, maybe six years old, we didn't know what to do. The man couldn't say anything except his last words to his son: 'I love you'. I was so traumatized by it, I didn't even tell anything to the cops when they began investigating the murder. I was so unwilling to speak about it. Years later, people asked what happened that day. I still remembered. I couldn't forget that event. But speaking about it was like getting stabbed in the throat with a knife. I can only discuss it now because I learned how to get closure from things. You are still healing, so it makes sense that it hurts to speak about your mother's passing. But believe me, things get better. They always do. Life isn't out to get us. Life happens, but we have to be willing to struggle and push through it all for our own happiness."

I admit it: I got a little lost in his words. He spoke like love and life itself lived in his bones. If I didn't already know he was a son of Hermes, I would have thought him a son of Aphrodite. Honestly, I think Tlato got just as lost in our new friend's words because he didn't hear us when we called his name four times. Either that, or he just started falling in love with Reggie, and I honestly can't blame him for that.

Like, the first day Reggie spent with us as we took him around Camp, people fawned over him and acted like he was some kind of a celebrity, everyone giggling and blushing like fangirls. I thought it was dumb at first, and then I figured out why. Reggie was fucking beautiful. He was what every teen movie thinks a teenage boy looks like. Not to mention, the guy was rich beyond comprehension. Coming from a poor little community near the center of Chicago, the only rich people I ever saw were the pimps who came in wearing too much bling and animal fur and not enough actual, normal clothes. Tlato lived out in a nice neighborhood in a town somewhere near the Arizona section of the Navajo reservations, so he generally saw wealth in terms of big, fancy houses and huge plots of land and the occasional celebrity or tech-nerd rich guy passing through the city to see whether it would be worth establishing a branch of a company in the town.

But Reggie was born into wealth and grew up in wealth. Tlato began getting accustomed to middle-class luxuries after his dad got an awesome job as head of security at some new company in town. I had never lived in wealth. (My mom did, having grown up in a huge, rich clan in India. I, on the other hand, grew up believing that going to community college was the best thing I could do for my future.) So yeah. I'd say there was a pretty massive socioeconomic difference between the three of us.

My mind moved from the topic of wealth disparity to what would happen during the second half of the quest. I didn't know how the boys would handle my treachery. I didn't want to betray them or lie to them, but I had to put the mission first. The mission comes before personal issues. The world before the self, is what I thought. While I pondered that, the boys and I kept walking and wandering. I let them take me around as my mind churned like the sea.

The three of us - Reggie, Tlato, and I - settled onto the porch of the Big House, sitting on the steps in complete silence. Reggie ended the quiet to look at me very carefully, eyes burning holes into the side of my face.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You okay, bud?"

He sighed. "How are you so calm about everything? Your sister - my friend - got kidnapped, we have to go on a quest in a few days, and your dad sparred with you today. Aren't you freaked out by everything?"

With a huff, I scooted back so the three of us made a little triangle on the wooden deck. "Well, what about you? You ran away from monsters, traveled all the way from Los Angeles to Long Island on foot, got a magical stopwatch-compass-thing that turns into a sword, fought monsters, dislocated your hip, met your dad, and spoke to a magic necklace. Why aren't _you_ freaking out?" Reggie pouted at my response, crossing his arms over his orange T-shirt-clad chest.

"Buddy, we all deal with insane shit. That's just how a demigod's life is. Just like you accepted so many things as weird and moved on, I did the same. We have to, for the sake of our own sanity," I explained with a smile.

He sighed, shrugging his shoulders while the rest of his body seemed to slump, wrists lifelessly grazing the wooden planks beneath us. Blue eyes dimmed to such an extent that they reflected extremely little light. I thought I had hallucinated him having blue eyes this whole time. Even his facial expression appeared so flat, it was like he didn't want to show any emotion, despite his usually expressive nature. Everything about Reggie's posture seemed to show his desire to curl in on himself like a snake and never show his face to the world ever again. But this wasn't shame. It was trauma.

Tlato and I shared a few looks, exchanging a few unspoken thoughts, and moved closer to our new friend, pulling him into hugs. "This isn't about the murder you saw, is it?" Reggie didn't reply, his lower lip beginning to quiver. Tears rose in his eyes. His face turned away from us, but Tlatoany forced the smaller guy to look at him. He spoke gently. "This is about Izzy, isn't it?"

Reginald gave a little _hic_ in surprise, and then the flood washed over us. He sobbed like he'd never felt sadness before. Confusion and pain and fear and anger melted together, releasing from his eyes in one huge flourish. He tossed himself at us, clinging onto our shirts and flesh, whimpering in one moment and then wailing in the next. He reminded me of myself when my mom stopped speaking to me. And then again when I lost Tlato's friendship. And then when I thought Reggie was going to die. I cried more this summer than ever in my life, and all because I found people I was willing to bare my heart to.

Reggie was more used to it. He wore his heart on his sleeve, on his shoulder. I wore mine under my shirt, not in my ribs. People can see my emotions, but they don't know the depth of it.

I sympathized with his heartache. I felt the same way when Tlato and I fell out. It's the feeling of knowing you have no one, not even the one person you entrusted your whole soul to. Tlato was my very best friend in the world. No matter how close everyone was to my heart, Tlatoany was closer, and his betrayal broke me. For Reggie, he'd taken Izzy under his wing, guided her, protected her, made sure she never experienced any hardship while they were together. But then, out of nowhere, they struggle. They nearly die while trying to reach Camp. She's safe. I help her. And the day, the moment he is able to meet her, she is taken from him. I imagined it's a lot like raising a child and then that child getting kidnapped.

Tlatoany spoke in that deep, smooth tone he used with younger campers who fear some kind of activity or can't deal with a certain issue. It always calms them down, no matter the source of their frustration.

"I swear by all the gods that exist, Reginald, we _will_ bring Izzy back to Camp. I swear it. Okay? You don't need to worry about that. She _will_ come back to us safe and healthy, alright? Now, let's calm down so you don't end up with a heart attack. I know Anusha's pretty good at this healing thing, but she can't stop a heart attack as far as I know," he joked, a slight smirk on his lips and his eyes alight with mirth.

Our tearful friend let out a wet laugh, nodding his head. He sniffled while rubbing away the last of his sadness and stress. With another laugh, he hugged us again, holding on for dear life. We held on just as tightly, and (unintentionally) Tlato and I pressed simultaneous kisses to his cheeks. I only grinned awkwardly, while Reggie's entire face erupted into crimson. Tlato looked away, smiling secretly but failing. Just as we stood up to try and walk off the awkward moment, my brother Will sprinted at us, jumping onto my best friend and wrapping all four limbs around him.

"WILL, GET OFF ME! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" screeched my long-haired BFF. Will screamed, clutching onto Tlato's shoulders while hanging off his back.

"NOT UNTIL YOU GET THAT MONSTER OUT OF HERE!"

My dudes and I stiffened up real quick, concerned that a monster so fearsome that Will was screaming like a baby had snuck into Camp somehow.

The eldest son of Apollo in Camp Half-Blood hesitantly climbed off of my giant friend, and as a group, we departed to inspect the danger and fight off whatever it was. We headed east, walking towards the strawberry fields. My heart pounded when I saw my other siblings screaming and fainting among the shrubs. I couldn't see any obvious danger, so I figured it was a smaller monster, maybe a basilisk or something. Possibly a feral animal of some sort. Will grew antsier and antsier with each step we took towards the threat, constantly asking to wait there while we continued ahead.

I stepped around my siblings, who carefully stood and stepped away from the fields with Will, Tlato, and Reggie's help. _Fine_, I thought, _I'll just do it myself._

As I neared the source of their terror, I burst into laughter. At my feet lay a snake, maybe six feet long, with skin the color of charcoal and a U-shaped head, hissing and flicking its tongue out into the open air, tasting the sun-sweetened strawberries ripening all around.

My knees gently landed on the soft dirt below, and I smiled gently at the smooth, elusive creature, reaching a finger out to let it observe me. It lifted its head, revealing a pale chin and neck, along with a white underbelly. The little guy hissed softly at me, popping its tongue out a few times to lick at my pointer finger. He pulled his head back and watched me silently. I tried not to smile too hard. Only then did I notice how skinnier his body was compared to his head. My hand reached out to pet his head, and he let me, eyes closing for a moment when my hand obstructed the sun's glaring rays.

After a few moments, I heard my siblings screeching again, petrified by my behavior. "Anu, what the fuck are you doing?! _Get away from that thing!_" came Naomi's squawk of discomfort and terror.

I rolled my eyes. "He is a snake, not a thing. Also, he's no big deal. He's just chillin', enjoying the strawberries just like we do. What's the issue with that?"

Kayla hissed at me. (Haha, snake puns.) "Are you _insane_?! Do you not know the story of Dad fighting Python?!"

I snorted. "Right. Because this little guy is the same creature as the giant monster Acchu had to fight thousands of years ago. You guys are so paranoid."

"No, you're just crazy, Anu. Get away from it!" Will yelled. I sighed.

"First of all, no. Second of all, watch this!" I smirked devilishly. This was going to be lots and _lots_ of fun.

My ears caught wind of Reginald musing to Tlatoany that I was the weirdest, craziest girl he'd ever met. Tlato told him that this situation was just a side-effect of me being a plague-bringer. It probably was true.

Without another moment of hesitation, I held my hand out to the snake, who hissed at me before slithering gracefully up my arm and around my neck, hanging around my neck and licking at my face sweetly. After I booped his nose, I rose to my feet. I just about cried when I stood up because the little guy booped my cheek right back. I cooed like an idiot. "Awww, you sweet little guyyyy~!" I grinned at Will, whose look of dread still comes to mind when I think of snakes.

"Will, I'm keeping him."

"Uh, no. You are not."

"Uh, yes. I am."

"No."

I rolled my eyes. "William, you have no choice. I'm going on a quest with two boys, and I need some safety and something to cuddle with."

Reggie protested, "You literally have your best friend _and_ me. I am the best hugger, and he is ginormous and great for hugs. Why do you need a snake for that?"

Everyone's eyes shot to his, including my sneaky boi's eyes. He looked around awkwardly before turning to Tlato. "Too far?" Our gentle giant nodded. "Alright, fair enough. Sorry. Continue. I said nothing," he retracted quickly. I snickered to myself while walking towards my siblings.

"Anu, seriously! Set that thing down! We can't approach you until you do!" Naomi whined.

"Bro, listen. I decided I want this guy. That's final. None of you can change my mind. I'll let him hang around outside, but he is still mine." The other residents of Cabin Seven groaned in extreme displeasure.

"Anu, come ooooon. You're a daughter of Apollo! What daughter of Apollo isn't scared of snakes?" reasoned Austin.

I smirked. "This daughter of Apollo. Besides, the usual patterns for Apollo kids don't apply to me anymore. Just deal, brother mine."

My siblings huffed, all walking away as my Dad approached us from the north. "Kids? What the hell you guys all doing out here?" Acchu shouted so we could all hear from his distance. "I thought you all were supposed to be at lunch. You guys just missed the first fifteen minutes!"

Will yelled, pointing at me accusingly, "Anusha wants to keep this snake as her pet! Tell her she can't do it, Dad! We can't live with her if she's gonna keep a snake around!"

Apollo walked closer, laughing his ass off as he entered the fields. "Wait, what? She wants to keep a snake? Right on, kid. But where are you gonna have him live? These guys are gonna go insane if you want him in the cabin, and I'm pretty sure pets aren't allowed inside," he admitted with a wink.

I sighed. "Well, I was going to make sure he stayed in my bed, but I guess I can let him hang out behind the cabin or near the forest edge so I can come by and take care of him whenever I need to. Is it okay, Acchu? I really want him. He booped my cheek after I booped his nose! Where are you gonna find such a good boy like him?" I pleaded, giving him my best puppy-dog eyes. Acchu relented without hesitation, nodding in approval, which made the other residents of my cabin grumble in frustration.

"I mean, it is weird that you're the only of my kids not afraid of snakes, but I guess your plagues give you a certain confidence with these animals that these guys don't have."

Cheering, I hugged my boi closer to my face. He laid his body comfortably around my neck, hissing into my ear softly. "What should I call him?"

Reggie and Tlato walked closer, grinning childishly when he sat silently and permitted them to pet him. "What about Izzy?"

I rolled my eyes. "No. I'm not naming my snake after my sister, Reggie. Maybe Dragon?"

Tlatoany shook his head. "Boring. Basic. You are not a basic bitch."

I nodded, knowing he was right. "That is indeed true. I am not a basic bitch. Hmm…"

Reggie grinned. "Rattler!"

"He's not a rattlesnake, Reggie."

I grinned as a name came to mind, something simple and sweet. "Delos. I'm gonna call him Delos."

My eyes flicked to gauge the expressions and feelings of my friends and family around me. Apollo's face softened to such a degree that I feared he would burst into a puff of smoke, formless and free. He smiled and moved towards me, leaning down to kiss my forehead sweetly. The boys stepped away so we could have a little moment. Acchu pulled back, eyes wet and soft as he brushed a thumb along my cheekbones.

"Too much affection for your old man, I see."

I shrugged, still grinning but a bit tearful now. "No such thing as too much affection for the one person who never abandoned me or gave up on me, Acchu."

He laughed broadly while ruffling my hair. "Alright, that's fair. Well, let's all head to lunch. I'm sure you guys are starving. And Anu, at least before lunch, take a damn shower."

I snickered. "I will, I will. Just let me feed this guy and get him some water, and I'll get cleaned up." I turned to look at my two buddies who waited silently and patiently for my word. "You guys go ahead and eat. I'll be there soon."

They nodded, smiling to themselves at how I scratched Delos's head when they thought I couldn't see. Tlato walked closer and pressed his right cheek to mine, promising to see me before dinner. He walked away after petting my new pet's head. Reggie gave me a hug and kissed Delos's nose before running off with Tlatoany.

My siblings all pouted at me, clearly displeased at my choice of animal companion as they rushed away to their afternoon meal. Apollo kept me company as I walked to the edge of the forest, neither of us speaking a single word the whole way there.

I looked at him and asked softly, "Acchu, when I named my little buddy Delos, you got so emotional. You acted like I'm the only one this loving to you, which sounds wrong. Is it that…did these guys ever resent you for not being there more often?"

I'm not sure what I expected, but it shocked me to see heartbreak in my Dad's eyes. He didn't look at me, training his eyes on the ground as we walked. When he didn't respond for several minutes, I made the brave choice of reaching over to take his hand and look at him more closely. Apollo took in a shaky breath and let out an even shakier one. Even without his words, I knew the answer was yes.

A few minutes after we'd reached the edge of the treeline, Apollo finally explained his feelings. "For many years, I was a terrible father. I ignored my kids. My ego and my vanity consumed me, and I cared very little for the lives of humans and demigods alike. I mean, I would fight to protect them, but I didn't care about humans' feelings unless I was in a relationship with a human. So many of my children died in the Second Titanomachy. So many. My son Lee was the first. He was your eldest brother. And then Michael was lost in battle. I don't know what happened to him. I thought he died, but neither Hermes nor Hades know what became of him." Dad stopped talking to take another shaky breath and let a few tears slip out of his eyes.

"Will had become the Apollo cabin head counselor at age fourteen. He was the eldest of the Apollo kids, at age fourteen. He fought and won a war at age fourteen. The Second Gigantomachy was just as bad. So many of my children and my descendants lost to the rage of battle. And finally, just after we reached peace, I was turned into a human, a punishment from my father Zeus. He blamed me for my descendant Octavian's behavior and prophetic sense. Octavian was a really terrible person. I do not associate with him, and neither do my children. But only after I became human and spent time at Camp Half-Blood did I realize how entitled I acted, how cruel I was to my children all those years, how badly I treated everyone. Will still resented me for everything. I thought myself perfect, but with everything I endured in those months, I learned much. I hated myself for how I treated my own flesh and blood. I changed. I was better. But…"

I squeezed his hand, wanting to know more, wanting to let him lean against me for emotional support when he needed it. I wanted him to see I was strong and that he could trust me. After all, he was the only one I fully trusted. "But?"

He smiled weakly, more tears streaking down his cheeks. "But I nearly lost my children. I was willing to die to save them. I still am. But every day, I fear that I'm not doing enough. That I'm not active enough, that I'm not taking a big enough role in their lives. I may be a god, but I still have many children, and I want them all to feel so special. I want them to feel like they don't need to ask anything from me, that I'll give them what they need and want without their request."

I watched the ground and sighed. If there was one thing I'm not good at, it's comforting people. The most I can do is distract them from the issue and their crying, but I can't soothe people, not like Reggie or Tlato or Will. I said what came to mind, not wanting to overcomplicate it and stress Dad out more than he already felt.

"Dad, I'm not good with words and stuff, but let me tell you. They understand you. The others, I mean. They know that you're better and changing and growing into a better parent with each visit. They displayed so much excitement at the thought of your visit. I was terrified, but they were elated. They were so hopeful to see you again. I dreaded it, fearing you would judge me or hate me for my powers. No one wants to think their child is a bad omen or a bellringer of death and despair. But they were just so happy. I could see how much they love you and want you to be with them. Sure, maybe not all of them are okay with the fact that you only showed up recently, but they appreciate and adore the visits. They love you more than I do. I'm just grateful that you're speaking to me at all. But they want to make you proud and happy."

Apollo stopped walking and crushed me into a hug, careful to not hurt Delos. "I don't know who told you you're bad with words, but they lied." He peppered kisses all over my face and let out a chuckle while wiping away the tears on his cheeks.

I shrugged and smiled, standing on my tippy toes to kiss his cheek. "Love you, Dad. Now let's just feed Delos. I still gotta take a shower, and we both need food, if our empty stomachs are anything to go by," I teased. He nodded, still giving that tearful grin as we searched for a mouse or bird for Delos' lunch.

That was the best day I ever had that year: my dad spending half the morning with me, just talking to me and training with me and being in my life.

But the next day...it wasn't so great.


	12. I Get Another Brother

You know, I like to think of myself as a fairly cool-headed chick. Most things can't bother me. And if they do, I get over it fast. Like when Will ran and jumped onto my best friend yesterday. I accepted it as a peculiar event and moved on. Or when Apollo himself sang a bunch of purposely off-pitch duets with me and my siblings at the campfire later that night. Or even when Reggie and Tlato both gave me hugs goodnight and kisses to my cheeks.

But what I can never accept is someone trying to kill my boys.

Let me explain.

Better yet, let me start from the beginning.

* * *

"Alright, now that Delos is fed, where will you keep him?" my dad wondered aloud.

I grinned. "I know the perfect place. Come on, Dad!" My feet rushed me up to my favorite hilltop, and I knocked gently on the two trees standing guard there. "Excuse me? Nymph ladies who live in these trees? Can I ask you a teensy-weensy favor?"

From the bark of the trees emerged two middle-aged women, beautiful faces shimmering green in the afternoon light. They smiled down at me, brilliant emerald eyes wide and amused. The nymphs then noticed Apollo, and their demeanor completely changed, instead acting bashful and shy. They giggled and blushed deep green, curtseying to the god gloriously glowing in the sun's rays. "Lord Apollo! What a surprise. We did not anticipate seeing you here!" the nymph on the left exclaimed.

Dad grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm just accompanying my kid until she heads off to the showers."

They nodded and hummed, turning back to me. The woman on the right questioned, "What is it that you need, darling?"

I smiled as innocently and angelically as possible. "Could you guys possibly watch over my pet snake? I can't let him stay near the cabins because my siblings and friends would get scared, but I also don't want him in the forest. Who knows what kinds of snake-eating monsters are in there?! So I'm here, asking you guys. Would you be able to take care of him while I'm away or unable to be near him?"

The lady on the left rubbed her hands together. "Well, he seems like a sweet enough creature. Is he accustomed to arboreal life?"

I nodded. "He can live anywhere. I think he's a black rat snake. Sweet little guy, really."

Apollo laughed, shaking his head. "Sugarplum, he is not a black rat snake. Delos is a king brown snake. Highly venomous, actually."

"Wait, what?" I frowned and looked at Delos, who hissed at me. "Delos, why'd you lie to me?"

The ladies coughed. "You can speak to snakes?"

I laughed. "No, not at all. I was just exaggerating. But okay. My pet is a king brown snake. Wait, aren't those the giant snakes from Australia? How'd he get here?"

"Not entirely sure, sweetheart," Dad started, "But he probably traveled here via some kind of abnormal manner. Possibly a plane ride of some sort, or maybe a terrible person who decided to snatch him from his home to keep as a pet and dropped him off into the wild once they didn't want him anymore."

With a huff and a scowl, I held Delos closer, kissing his head softly. He pressed his snout to my cheek and bumped into my face a few times. "I know, baby. Humans are terrible. Believe me, I am well aware. Anyways, time for me to go through my day. I need to get clean and get fed. Can you stay here until later tonight? You can do what you want, but stay in the vicinity of this hill. Don't go anywhere else. And if you're hungry, tell these nice ladies, okay? Or call to my dad. Also, don't bite or hurt anyone, okay? Just get away from anyone trying to purposefully hurt you, and only if you can't leave, then bite them. I'll know if someone's trying to hurt you purposefully. No one would dare."

Delos hissed, licking at my nose softly when I held his head close to mine. With a despairing sigh, I let him go, holding my hand close to one of the branches of the left tree so he could slither onto it and anchor himself properly. He curled around one of the branches, resting his head atop the bark and closing his eyes as the sun hit his back. I cooed, standing on my toes to kiss his little head.

Apollo chuckled at that, petting the back of my head with a careful hand. "You're already so attached to him. How is that possible?"

I shrugged at the amused query from my father. "There's just a special bond between two beings who are hated by others for who they are."

He seemed taken aback by my response, but shook his head and sighed. "Well, that was depressing, but fair enough. Ready to go? You haven't got much time left, sweetie."

"Yeah, I know. I'm ready. You just head down to lunch. I'll be there in fifteen." We shared a grin and split ways, me sprinting at top speed to Cabin Seven to grab my shower stuff and clothes and Dad practically flying back to the Pavilion to hang out with the other Apollo kids.

My feet moved faster than I thought humanly and biologically possible. Two minutes to snatch my stuff out of the cabin, two minutes to reach the showers, three minutes to get undressed and ready to clean up, six minutes to actually shower and clean myself so roughly that my skin almost peeled, four minutes to dry off and get dressed, two minutes to drop everything off in the cabin, and three minutes to high-tail it to the pavilion. By the time I reached my table, I had exactly fifteen minutes left to eat my lunch.

Naomi and Kayla greeted me with tight hugs and kisses to the cheeks, while Will just ruffled my hair when I plopped down beside him. "Well, sunshine. Where's your badass biker boyfriend? Haven't seen him yet today," I teased while shoveling spicy garlic and tomato pasta into my mouth.

Big Brother William smacked my arm playfully, his face reddening with each passing second. "Shush. Nico's off on some business for his father. He'll be back only later tonight, so his sword-fighting class will need a replacement teacher."

I stopped eating upon hearing that. Two things about that explanation shocked me. The first was that Nico actually did stuff for his dad, Hades. I thought the god of the Underworld was so powerful he could do everything on his own. But maybe he couldn't always come up to the surface to handle stuff, so he sent his son. That made sense. The second part was worse. I wouldn't have Nico to teach me today. Call me clingy, but I really don't like introducing new people into my routine, especially if that routine involves anything with lessons or learning.

I frowned, but continued, not wanting to take up too much time and lose the chance to eat a proper lunch.

My fellow Indian-born child of Apollo, Kiran, interrogated Will. "Wait, if Nico's not teaching, who is? And are they qualified? Does this apply to everything Nico's teaching?"

Will sighed, rolling his eyes as he retorted to our other brother's nagging questions. "It's honestly like you guys love Nico more than me."

I smirked and poked his cheek with the back of my fork to get his attention. "I mean, could you really blame us? Nico rocks."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Fair enough. He is pretty amazing," he admitted with a lovesick look on his bright features, which caused Apollo to burst into amused laughs of admiration and exclaim, "Ah, young love!"

Will blushed deeper and tried to ignore Dad's utterings, but to no avail. "Anyways," he shook his head and answered Kiran's questions. "Honestly, we'll probably have one of the other counselors or an older camper or Dad teach the sword-fighting class for today. There are a few campers who can handle that class. Sherman Yang from Ares, Chris Rodriguez from Hermes, or Tlatoany Castillo from Ares, but I'm not entirely sure Tlato can handle the teaching portion, great of a fighter though he is." He paused and tilted his head to the side to look down at me. "The only thing Nico said is that he expects you to stay on as the assistant teacher, Anu."

I coughed, almost choking on my garlic-parmesan bread roll. "Okay, excuse me? What?"

Will lifted and dropped his shoulders in a brief shrug. "Nico told me that specifically. Mentioned something about keeping with his teaching style in his class so the students don't lose continuity. So yeah, you still gotta teach, kinda."

Apollo hummed, bumping my right shoulder with his left. Only then did I realize I had squished myself between the biggest dudes in the cabin: my eldest brother and my dad. "You're a teacher too, huh?" he joked with a little smirk.

With a groan, one of my hands covered my eyes as the other continued feeding me. "Please don't start. I'm the only person in Cabin Seven with atrocious archery skills. Like, I can only land an arrow on a moving target. Otherwise, any arrow I shoot lands in someone else's shoulder. Not good. So, sword-fighting is easier for me. I don't have to worry about the wind or losing focus because of a lack of stimulation or not holding the bow and arrow properly or pulling the string back too far. There's only swords and bodies in sword-fighting, so I don't need to worry about the environment around me."

Dad nodded and patted my back as he munched on a french fry. "That's understandable. Archery can be overwhelming to some people. And I'm sure always doing archery with a moving target is quite stressful and exhausting."

"Yep. And I can't figure out how to handle stiff targets. It's so dumb. It's like being a scientist who can figure out how the big bang happened, but being unable to do basic algebra."

The others laughed, joking between each other about my sword-fighting and how I should have been a daughter of Ares rather than a daughter of Apollo. I just smirked. "Well, in that case, I'd have so much fun."

Naomi gave me her heartbroken puppy-dog-eyes. "What? You don't like us?"

I laughed. "Girl, of course, I like you guys. But being an Ares kid would allow me to _roast_ each and every one of you in a sword fight at any given hour of the day, with no mercy."

My shriek rang through the air around the table as two giant arms hugged me from behind. I clawed at the large tanned brachial limbs and pulled them down and away from my shoulders. My head whipped up to glare at the offender, but my eyes instead softened when I saw Tlatoany's handsome, regal features. "Tlato!" He grinned softly down at me, pressing our cheeks together.

Apollo had almost jumped in his seat from the volume of my yell, but he snorted when realizing I had reacted so violently to a hug from my best friend.

The giant son of Ares smirked at my siblings. "Believe me, she's been a merciless monster during our sparring sessions even from the start of summer. The first day we trained together, she cut me a bunch of times because I'd underestimated her. The fury of her fighting never lessened since then. You want her in your cabin, not mine. I promise," he advised with a broad grin.

"Are you here to mock me, Mr. Castillo, or do you have anything of substance to inform me?" I prompted.

Tlatoany smiled softly, leaning closer to whisper in my ear in Spanish so only I could hear and understand, "_Reginald quiere hablar con nosotros. Me dijo que debemos encontrarnos con él antes del fogón. Qué te parece?"_

I bit my lip and frowned, asking back just as softly while the others resumed eating and talking with Dad. "_De que quiere el 'blar? Es sobre la misión?"_

He nodded, explaining, "_Tuvo un sueño anoche. Algo de una gema muy grande, como un diamante."_

"_Qué? Ya tenemos la gema de Esperanza. Por qué tuvo un sueño sobre ella?"_

Tlatoany grunted, shaking his head as I turned to face him more comfortably, leaning my back against Will's arm. "_No. No es sobre la gema de Esperanza. Es una gema nueva. Una gema de India, yo pienso."_

"_De India? ...Bién. Dile que debemos encontrarnos con él en mi cabaña, si?"_

With another nod and a tired sigh, Tlato stood up, rubbing his face. He seemed more frail than usual. Arms not as strong or tense with readiness for a fight. Face more ashen and flat than its usually determined warm cinnamon. Brownish-scarlet eyes dimmed to a helpless, weak brown. Even his hair seemed to wilt and hang limply on his head, whereas it usually held up strongly in a tight man-bun. My best friend was crumbling. "Okay," he muttered lowly. I stood with him and gave the poor guy a hug. There was so much weighing down on him. Leading a quest to retrieve my kidnapped sister, going to all of his weekly lessons, learning how to manage the necessary finances and process of the quest, mourning the loss of his mother, meeting his dad and mine, dealing with his siblings, making sure Reggie was ready for the quest. The world had dumped all of its issues on him, and I could see it was tearing him down.

My best friend in the whole world gripped onto me, clutching at the soft fabric of my tank top and burying his face in my neck. I rubbed his back gently, unnoticeably removing the fatigue, stress, and exhaustion from his body while I murmured slow, sweet comforts in Malayalam. He pulled back and smiled, patting my cheek with this weird kind of look in his eyes. I couldn't figure out what it was, but it appeared very mellow and warm and fluffy, however weird that sounds. He hurried off to the Ares table, where Reggie sat and conversed with everyone at a higher energy level than I could ever possess. Apollo smirked at me when I sat down. "Right. Best friends."

I tried to ignore the warmth in my face and continued eating as fast as I could, causing him to laugh loudly. Will gasped so hard, I think I saw his jaw dislocate slightly and his lungs stretch a bit too far. "NO WAY."

With a tight, angry squint towards Apollo's proud smirk, I glared at my siblings, who all laughed even louder. Grumbling like a petulant child became my only option when Will and Apollo started pinching my cheeks and pushing at my shoulders playfully. "You all are the bane of my existence."

Apollo hooted loudly, tossing his head back to let blond hair fly loose in the air. "And yet you love us anyway!"

My heart broke with betrayal when Naomi giggled cutely, eyes sharp when they bore into me. "But not as much as you love _him_, right?"

I gritted my teeth before grinning victoriously. "Fine. I have a bet. Winner gets to continue making fun of me for whatever just happened." I could hear the Hermes and Nike tables grow silent within seconds as soon as I said the word 'bet'. Those two cabins were more competitive than any of the others. Hermes kids because betting and gambling fall under their dad's realm and Nike kids because they live to win, no joke. The eyes of those cabins wandered towards me carefully.

Oh, this was a cocky bet. Worse than any other I've done since coming to camp. This was gonna be a dangerous risk I was taking, but I had to take it, for the sake of my own dignity. "Anyone who can beat me in sword fighting can mock me for whatever the hell these guys made fun of me for just now, even though it is not true. This is the perfect training opportunity for me. Win the match, and you can mock me. Lose, and you can never bring it up at all, neither directly nor indirectly. Bet?"

My siblings and the people who were actually interested in the bet from the other three tables (which ended up being maybe six people total, not including the other seven Apollo kids) nodded. All in all, I would have to fight thirteen people to maintain my honor. Not too bad. I looked at my dad, who wore a shark grin. "You want in, too, don't you?"

He tossed an overly-muscled arm around my shoulders. "You're damn right I do."

I sighed and nodded. "Fine. Anyone who wants to fight, meet me in the Arena this evening at five and tomorrow morning at ten, whichever one is easier for you. If you miss the sessions, you've already lost, and if I hear you mocking me, I'll come after you."

Dad poked my arm. "And if I don't show up?"

I rolled my eyes, smiling slightly. "You're my dad. I think you wanna at least show up just to see how good I actually am in a fight against equals, even if you yourself won't fight. Also, you're a god. I can't exactly force you to fight with me, and I wouldn't want to. I still have a bunch of bruises and aching muscles from today."

With a ruffle to my hair, Apollo nodded and chuckled. "Very good point, sweetheart. And sorry."

"It's fine." I stood up and stretched my arms and back, leaning down to hug Will and Apollo from behind. "Well, I gotta get to hand-to-hand combat. I honestly kinda miss fighting with Mark. I still can't believe _Connor_ took over for him until yesterday. I'll see you guys later, okay? Love you all!" I pressed kisses to their cheeks and gave each sibling a hug before carrying my now-empty plate to the disposal area and then rushing off to the Arena.

* * *

I slid into the Arena just as the clock struck twelve. "I'm here! I'm here, I'm here, I'm here!" I exclaimed while rushing towards the stage. Mark rolled his eyes at me, tossing some boxing gloves at my face.

"Late again, Rajachari?"

"Come on, man, cut me some slack. My dad's here. Kinda hard to just rush through everything when he's around."

He nodded and sighed. "Fine. You just sit back and wait and watch. Gave some instructions while you were still busy eating lunch."

I fitted my hands into the gloves and pushed in the mouthguard that I always kept in my pocket every time I left the cabin or the infirmary. Mark enunciated clearly, explaining to everyone what we would do today and how. I found myself zoning out of the rest of the class. I mean, I paid him enough attention to know exactly what was going on, and I did perform well when practicing the moves Mark taught us during the lesson, but Dad's words kept ringing in my head.

You know.

Those words.

The ones about, um.

The words he said about me…_liking_ Tlatoany.

Ooh, those hit way too hard. I don't know why, but they stuck in my head all afternoon. I can't even tell you what happened in the lessons I had before sword-fighting because I don't remember. It was weird because I never lost focus like that. Of course, I handled the classes as well as I could, but something about how Dad had said those things made something click for me, and that made me afraid. Afraid of what? I don't know.

Before sword-fighting, I shook myself off and tried to get ready. While I did miss Nico a lot, I had to focus. I was kind of taking up his mantle, though temporarily. I had to make sure his students, including myself, kept up with what he'd been teaching us up until that point.

I sat down on one of the benches near the edge of the stage of the Arena, shaking off the sweat in my hair before tying it up. I swore to myself that I'd cut it as short as possible this summer, just so I wouldn't have to worry about it getting in my way during a fight.

While awaiting the arrival of the new teacher, I spent the time just drinking a lot of water and eating a granola bar someone gave me after my previous activity. Damn, I always hated that class. Running is only fun if you're trying to get food or get away from a fellow camper after a particularly nasty prank. It is not fun educationally or recreationally.

My face split into a wide grin when I saw Sherman walking into the Arena, carrying a few wooden practice weapons and a shield in his arms. "Hey, Yang! You're teaching this class today?"

He shouted back a hello, nodding his head in reply. The guy dropped the weapons on the stage before making his way over to me. I stood and greeted him with a handshake and a side-hug. "How are you, Sneezy?"

I exhaled slowly, knowing the nickname had probably traveled all over Camp by now. "Et Tu, Brute?"

He shrugged. "Sorry."

"I'm good, Sherman. How are you?"

The giant son of Ares smiled mildly, ruffling my hair. "Good. Just ready for the weekend to come so my siblings will get off my back."

I laughed. "My dude, I do not have that luxury. Some of the others are always on my ass about doing random shit with them. Especially the Hermes kids. Always wanting to include me in pranks. What will become of my 'she's kinda loud, but she's nice' reputation?!"

We burst into snickers at that. "I think you'll be fine, kid. You're still nice. Everyone knows the Hermes boys will pester you until the world ends if you don't help them with their pranks."

"For sure. So, did you volunteer to teach, or were you chosen?"

Sherman scratched the back of his neck and raked both hands through his hair while stretching. "Kinda both. I did wanna teach this since I'm kind of getting bored of helping the little kiddos with their fighting and stuff, but also, Chiron asked me to teach since I'm most qualified, being head counselor of the Ares cabin and the oldest Ares kid in that list."

That made sense. "Fair enough. Nico told me to stay on as an assistant, so I'm just gonna be helping out in class. Explaining things the way he would have, and all that."

He snorted and nodded. "So now I have a TA to help me out in class. Good to know. You always play teacher-helper with sword-fighting classes?"

I shrugged. "Not like di Angelo gave me much choice. He had me come up on stage the first day I had this class just so I could be his example of how to do certain moves, and I've stayed on since, so I'm kinda just stuck here until summer's end. Of course, he'll be back sometime today, but I'm leaving for the quest tomorrow. I'm probably gonna have Emilia be his helper until I come back."

Sherman frowned, rubbing his chin. "Emilia, Emilia…who-"

"The Hermes girl with a propensity for trying to woo me."

He grinned. "That one, huh? Cool. Never knew you thought her a good enough fighter to be di Angelo's right hand."

"Well, she's disciplined. She often asks for help in class, and I've done so many activities with her that I'm basically synced up with her when it comes to any fights or competitions. She's the closest I can get to actually just being here and helping Nico out. Besides, she's got a lot more energy than I do and is a lot brighter and easier to get along with. I'm just so tired every day, it's kinda hard to gather enough fucks to give before sword-fighting lessons," I admitted.

"Longer answer than I expected, but alright. I've got a lesson plan for today that Nico left for me. Look over it if you want," he suggested while handing me a sheet of paper with a list of items and objectives for that day.

My fingers gingerly grasped the paper, and I turned it around to glance at what my favorite teacher had in mind for us today. I winced. This was much harder than anything he'd given us previously. I couldn't fathom why he'd give this specific lesson today when he was gone, but he probably had some kind of complex master plan in mind. "Alright. Sounds good to me. Let's get everything set up on stage. If Nico wants us to teach this, we'd better prepare for it."

With a nod, each of us took a different section of the preparation. I moved things onto the stage and off, placing everything where it had to go so everyone had a practice dummy to work with (and just for reference, each wooden practice dummy weighs as much as a small child, so that class prep was my cardio and weight training for the week). Sherman took the time to organize the practice groups and paired up different students based on what I knew about each person and their fighting style.

To my surprise, Tlatoany and Reginald both entered the Arena, looking around uncomfortably as they made their way towards where Sherman and I stood on the stage, checking the lesson plan together one last time before everyone else joined. My new sword-fighting instructor and I had just completed the necessary arrangements for class when the boys walked over.

One eyebrow raised, I glanced at Sherman before jumping off the stage to greet them. "Hey, guys, what's up? What are you doing here?"

Tlato smiled nervously. "Well, Reggie asked if he could join this class and learn a bit more about how to handle a sword since we're leaving tomorrow. I'm only here to kind of keep an eye on you guys and keep you in one place. I know you said you got attacked by the same people who took Izzy. Can't let that happen to you two."

I couldn't help my smile of adoration. Seriously, Tlato was the best. "Sure, boys. You can hang out wherever. Sherman and I are waiting for the others to get here so we can start the class."

Reggie's awed gaze scanning over the Arena caught my attention. "You got a weapon for yourself, my dude? Like, the practice swords are fine and all, but you'll need a real weapon for tomorrow," I advised.

Reginald grinned at me. "Oh, yeah! I have a sword my dad gave me. Hold on, let me show you." He reached down into the pocket of his blue jeans and pulled out what looked like an old pocket watch from the 1900s, the ones that can close like a flip-phone. He pulled up the button on the side of the device and twisted it forward before pressing it down again. The stopwatch became a beautiful sword of Celestial bronze, all kinds of carvings and elaborate designs etched into the bottom half of the blade.

"Wasn't expecting that, but that's a really cool sword! Your dad gave you that?!" I exclaimed, excited to see such a fancy weapon.

"Yep! It was actually a family heirloom, this watch. My great-grandfather had it when he began his winery business in the French countryside. He kept it when he moved into Paris after the Great War began, and it's been passed through the family since then." He raised an eyebrow at me. "And what about you? Where are the knives you had the day you brought me and Izzy inside Camp borders?"

A grin stretched my lips across my cheeks. I pulled up the two drum sticks I had tucked into one of the loops Leo made for my knives and twirled them. The heavy, familiar weight of my twin knives held my hands steady. Reggie gaped. "WHOA. Okay, that's super cool. How did you do that?!"

I beamed proudly, twirling them again, the knives reverting to their inactive form. "A gift from my dad. The knives were actually wielded by Epipole of Carystus, the woman who dressed as a man to join the soldiers and fight in the Trojan War. Unfortunately, the men found out and stoned her to death. I wanted to carry on her legacy by making these my weapons. My dad actually offered to train me this morning since Tlatoany never showed up. Tlato's my usual trainer, he has been since I first joined Camp. Dad gave these guys a more acceptable form to keep them in while in public because I can't risk people giving me weird looks about my knives."

Tlato grinned. "That's awesome, guys. My sword was actually a gift from Chiron when he considered me ready and worthy. It's an artifact called 'Tizona', one of the swords belonging to El Cid Campeador in Spain. El Cid is one of my ancestors. The source of the Spanish blood in me. His descendent, Martín Ramiro de Santos, was the first non-Aztec man to have come into contact with the last remaining Nahua nobles. They made it out of Tenochtitlan when the Spanish tried to enslave everyone, and he happened to live far away from the other Spaniards, inhabiting a little hut near the western edge of Mexico. The family passed Tizona around until Martín, who took it with him to the New World in a show of greed and spite towards his family members after discovering they only wanted him to join the Conquistas so he wouldn't burden them with his love of buying lavish accessories and clothes."

I laughed nervously. These guys had such amazing heirlooms passed down throughout their families for generations. I had nothing. Not a single story, not even anything to be proud of with my heritage. I, frankly, didn't know my heritage. Sure, my mom tried to teach me as much as she could about the culture of my country, state, and town, but she was often busy and spent little time with me. And I didn't know enough to look things up on my own, not to mention my town was pretty off-the-grid. "Well, I don't have any cool stories like that, but I do at least have the precedent of Epipole's badassery, and that's good enough for me."

We laughed together, though I still felt that twang of disappointment because I had no strong, beautiful bloodline to speak about proudly. All I had was my mom and the few people in our family still willing to talk to her, despite my great grandparents' talk of 'disgracing the family' because I was born out of marriage.

Eventually, everyone else came in and got ready for the lessons, taking hold of their swords and waiting in an awkward half-circle around the stage. "Alright, boys," I began while looking at my two quest-companions. "Time to go get some practice swords. Come join us when you've each found a good one." I jumped back up onto the stage and looked to Sherman, who stood tall and proud, waiting patiently for people to settle down and keep quiet.

"Alright, good. Boys, hurry up!" he called out, making Tlato and Reggie sprint back to the group after finding themselves some wooden weapons. "My name is Sherman Yang, and I'll be your instructor for this class. Nico is off on some Underworld business, but he'll be back later today. We're going to be doing some advanced moves in this lesson. Since we have not one, not two, but five skilled swords-people here today, you all can ask us questions and get help with anything," he promised.

Emilia asked sweetly, "Who are the five people, Sherman?"

He grinned faintly, clapping his hands to regain the attention of some chatty girls near the back of the crowd. "Obviously, myself, since I'm your teacher. Also, we have Tlatoany, my younger brother, Connor and Chris from the Hermes cabin, and Anusha, who's been helping to teach your class since the start of summer."

My face heated up rather quickly at that. I definitely did not think myself good enough to be on that list. I had only been at Camp for a month and a half, and it was my first time here. Not to mention, I spent two weeks just avoiding everyone because of my out-of-control powers.

I was nowhere near the level of the others on that list. Tlato was young, but he'd been training with the others for a long time. Connor and Chris were the oldest guys in the Hermes cabin and had fought several wars, and both were amazing fighters. Sherman had his natural Ares talent for fighting, and he was older than Tlatoany, which meant he had a lot of fighting experience and had also fought in the wars Connor and Chris had.

I had none of that. My redeeming qualities included the following: being the plague-bringer, having instinctive and precise reactionary deflections of projectiles, and knowing how to get along with almost everyone. I had little to no fighting experience beyond my training sessions with Tlatoany and my lessons with Nico and the others, and I was only fourteen years old.

But for some reason, Sherman thought me a good enough fighter to include me in that list, which flattered me. So, I accepted it and moved on. There was still a lot of work to do.

"Today, Anusha and I are going to be teaching you guys how to work together in a fight. I need you guys to remember that sword-fighting won't always be a one-on-one kind of battle." Sherman paused to let that sink in.

Frankly, I needed it. I forgot how much more chaotic the real world is than Camp Half-Blood. "You'll have to deal with so many different kinds of situations, and no matter how many summers you're taught to fight, you'll still not have enough preparation to know how to defeat every single enemy. This lesson will be an important one. With most monsters, teamwork is key. Sure, you can handle a few types on your own, but defeating a large majority of monster species will require cooperation, and that's hard to do." The head counselor of Cabin Five surveyed the group quietly, taking headcount to check how many demigods each group could contain.

"Since we have about thirty people including me, we'll have five groups of six. Each group will have one of the advanced fighters as the 'monster' and the other five people will have to work together to defeat them. Any questions?"

I raised my hand, biting my lip nervously. I swore I felt the quiver in my hands and voice as I spoke. "Are you sure we should start off with that, Sherman? Like, I know Nico had a lot of other stuff he wanted us to handle today. I just don't want this activity to take up too much time and leave us no space to finish the other items on that list," I advised hesitantly. Yeah, Sherman was a nice guy. In fact, most people at Camp were nice, but there are exceptions, and no one wants their authority challenged. That's just how it is.

My eyes wandered towards the crowd, just looking for a comforting face to keep me calm. Sherman had named me one of the advanced fighters, but that only made me more nervous. Being a student-assistant means I'm allowed to make mistakes and not get judged too harshly. Being an actual teacher means I have to be as close to perfection as possible, meaning I'm allowed a maximum of five mistakes in a sparring round of seven minutes. Just because no one said that doesn't mean I didn't think it was true. I always held myself to certain standards, whether for academic performance or friendliness. And not exceeding that standard meant I'd be left behind, and that scared me more than anything. Being unable to keep up terrifies me to this day, so I really worried about being a sub-par instructor that day, especially with the expectations Sherman had for me.

All of the thoughts and terrors that plagued me, pun intended, vanished from my mind when Tlato met eyes with me and smiled softly, a peaceful light in chaotic darkness. An immovable lighthouse in a churning sea. My breathing slowed again, and my eyes dilated once again, having narrowed to spot the nonexistent threat that my body perceived in response to rising stress levels.

I returned my gaze to my fellow instructor, who sighed. "I know, but I wanted to start off with this so I can kind of finish the hard stuff first. If they can do the hard stuff, the easy stuff will be nothing."

My hands went to my drum sticks, tapping out a rhythm on the length of one with my right hand's fingernails. "Listen, I get that. I do. But these guys will be tossed into the deep end if we take that route. How about we do the block-and-strike combos first for about ten minutes and then do the group practices for fifteen. That way, we can incorporate one of the activities into the big one. And after those fifteen, let's go back and finish the rest and do one more round of group practices right before the end of class. We'll use up an extra ten minutes, but Nico gave us more content than usual for this lesson."

He nodded. "Good plan. Alright, guys. Each of you find yourself a partner and stand with them. You've got two minutes. You'll need a partner for these combo moves." I set the timer on my phone to two minutes and hit the button. Everyone paired off quickly. As I anticipated, Tlatoany and Reginald teamed up, and almost everyone chose partners of the same sex. At the ringtone that signaled that time was up, each person had a fighting buddy to work with.

I called out, trying to project my voice as much as possible to speak over the chatty people and the sound of shifting bodies and weapons, "The partner you have now will be your partner until the end of class. Sherman and I already picked out your teams for the group practice. Now, like we always do. Line up." With soft groans of dismay, the twenty-eight other youths got into the usual two opposing lines. "Pay good attention. These combos are harder than anything else Nico's taught us."

Sherman and I stood opposite one another. Too tired to utter another word, I listened quietly as he explained the three combination moves.

The first combo involved slashing twice at the opponent's head before sliding in close, keeping your shoulder on their chest or torso, and then finally leaning down and cutting at their ankles before jumping back. They fall forward, unable to bear their own weight.

The second combo required much more delicate wrist movement. It was a complex move where you have to kind of keep your opponent's weapon away from them. You start out by trying to draw them closer by making a few choice strikes at whatever part of the body. Once they're close enough to you, you have to keep stepping backward to make them reach for you with the weapon. And once you've gotten them to stretch out their arm for the attack, you slide forward and use the flat of your sword to flip their sword forward towards you as if flipping a pancake.

The third combo was the easiest, but you have to use both arms and a bit of karate knowledge. When the opponent makes an aerial attack, slashing down at you, get in close - about two feet away from them - and use one arm to do a high block against their arm while using the other to stab or slash at their torso.

I didn't say much for the rest of that part of the lesson. Exhaustion had nearly completely taken over my body, leaving no option but to simply do the motions and try to retain as much energy as possible by not wasting my voice. Sherman must have noticed my fatigue because he answered any and all questions from the crowd, allowing me to avoid speaking for the next little while, at least until the group practices began. Of course, my luck ran out, and I had to start talking again when the demonstrations ended and the practices began. The others did really well, actually. So well that Sherman and I only had to correct people like maybe four times in the entirety of the ten minutes everyone spent just working on those three moves. So well that I didn't even notice the stranger walk in and sit down on one of the benches beside the entrance of the Arena.

Of course, seeing some random person shocked me a lot, but Sherman reassured me, saying it was probably some new camper that wanted to watch the lessons. I ignored the brown-haired teen at first, but I eventually let the guy come up and watch everyone fight from up close. The excited, curious sparkle in his eyes gave me a sense of relaxation. I trusted that he really was just a new camper and not some crazy guy who snuck into Camp without anyone knowing.

When I passed by Tlato and Reggie, my friends asked quickly if I was doing okay. I promised them that I was fine and just tired from my lessons, so they let it go after Tlato gave me a little hug.

Once Sherman and I agreed everyone had performed sufficiently, we called out the groups and let everyone get together. The group practices would be open fights. Each group of five students had one 'monster' who they would have to defeat by stealing their weapon. If the students won on the first try, a student could become the 'monster'. If the students didn't win on the first try, they would have to keep fighting the monster between practicing the combos.

I got paired up with a son of Hermes, two daughters of Demeter, an unclaimed camper besides the random new guy, and a son of Aphrodite. I didn't pay much attention to the other groups except for the one Tlatoany led because Reginald also belonged to that group.

The son of Hermes, Alvin, was pretty fuckin' cool. He fought with a lot of spunk and wore confidence in his orange Camp T-shirt and blue capris. He maintained the kind of cocky-asshole behavior most people saw in me then and still see in me now. He knew his capabilities but never underestimated anyone.

Demeter's daughters never really seemed much of a threat when I first started getting good at sword-fighting, but Olivia and Winny had a lot more strength than most people gave them credit for. They preferred shortswords, but they wielded their wooden training swords like experts, despite the imminent danger of fighting in leggings and their camp T-shirt.

The unclaimed camper, Maximus Harper, and his black jeans and band tee reminded me a lot of Nico, even down to his black and white Vans. Of course, being a new kid, he was a bit awkward and nervous but showed a lot of skill with the more close-range moves. His sweet and hopeful expressions after getting a good hit on me made me feel proud to be a teacher.

And Raul, the son of Aphrodite, was the most competitive person in the group, trying harder than the other four to try and take me down with all his beautiful and elegant might. He moved like a swan: graceful, powerful, dangerous. No matter what I did, he countered with unrelenting determination and physical ability. Don't let any child of Aphrodite fool you. They're just as strong as anyone else and twice as conniving from their beauty and differing levels of cattiness.

The five of them rushed at me, all making good, strong moves. I hated only having one weapon but having trained with a son of Ares who can predict your every move, a son of Hades more powerful than any other Camper to date, and the actual god Apollo made me a better fighter than they expected. One big advantage of living by instinct is that I can pick up on things much quicker and can use them much quicker. I don't need to take a lot of time to process and replicate moves. I do it naturally. That said, it also means that if my instinct is wrong, I'm kind of fucked.

If one camper was taking me one-on-one, the other four bided the time replenishing their strength so they could step in and join the fight. I held them all off for a solid four minutes until I got tired. Being the nice monster I am, I let them take a tiny breather while I cooled off. Being a child of Apollo is both a blessing and a curse. The sun's rays give me energy and strength, but I also get hotter way faster than anyone else.

My vision grazed over the rest of the groups, just watching to spot any particular move I really like or look for a technique that had to be corrected.

And then, my eyes noticed something that made my heart and stomach drop into my shoes, my entire body turning to ice out of fear and horror. The stranger that Sherman had told me was probably an unclaimed camper was actually holding a paper-thin, poison-covered blade to Tlato's back as he observed my best friend's fight with Reginald. And then, instead of ice, an inferno enveloped my person, washing over my vision with heat and flame. Pulse pounding all throughout my body, my legs switched into high-gear, and I practically flung myself over to Tlatoany's group. With a screech of rage, I punched the air, and a burst of disease-filled gas threw the stranger into the nearest wall, throwing him four feet in the air from the sheer strength of the impact.

Blinded by rage, I continued my unstoppable journey forward and pinned him to the wall, only for the weasel to slip out of my grip and try to throw the thin knife at my Tlatoany. In record time, I yanked out Enestos' stick, twirled it, and stabbed the guy's arm to divert the knife throw. It landed in the wood of the circular stage. He snarled, bloodied, chapped lips pulled over perfect white teeth. I hissed back, pulling out the knife and letting the blood burst out of the triceps area of his upper arm. The young asshole howled with pain and growled at me, tying a piece of cloth around the wound before reaching for his actual sword.

"You _stabbed_ me, you crazy bitch!"

Teeth bared, I jeered at him. "YOU TRIED TO KILL MY _BEST FRIEND_, YOU USELESS PIECE OF _HORSESHIT_."

He must have been just as wrathful as I felt about his murder attempt that I'd stopped his murder attempt because, like an insane person, he rushed me, sword forward and ready to pierce my vital organs. I sidestepped and slashed through his back with Enestos while I pulled out Istoria with the other. The guy screamed in pain, feeling for the injury in his trapezius muscle as I laughed at his suffering. He deserved it for trying to kill the kindest and most patient person in Camp.

The idiot whipped around and rushed me again, and it became clear to me with each strike how non-Greek he fought, constantly trying to skewer me with his sword. I'd been giving him little doses of shingles with each cut to his skin, just to make him feel as much pain as what would have been inflicted on innocent Tlatoany. (The needle-like blade actually held a lethal amount of stonefish venom, which causes so much pain upon the smallest physical contact with the substance that people want to cut off their arms rather than wait for the antivenom.)

But the guy had determination and more strength and stamina than I did. I admired that, but he tried to kill my best friend. I wouldn't let him get away with it. In the distance, I could hear the others calling to me to stop and let the guy leave, but I didn't acknowledge those requests. I wanted revenge. I would get revenge.

He was on the ground, writhing from the severe burning pain and uncontrollable itching sensations in his open gashes. The stranger's sword-fighting ability far exceeded my own, so I did what I had wanted to avoid since I discovered my powers. I gave up on using my knives and instead came down on him with all the fury and suffering in my plagues, sickly green smoke emanating from my palms and skin. I held up my left hand to keep the gas in place as the right made a circle around my head before cutting down diagonally towards my left hip, as if my hand itself were a knife slicing through the air.

It didn't work, though.

It didn't affect him.

I was horrified, fearful that this man was invincible against my attacks, only to notice a shield of golden light surrounding him. I didn't understand this. Very few people can stop my plagues. Naomi could, but she was off in the infirmary and too busy with her patients to come all the way here, know what I was doing, and stop me in time. My head lifted to look around at the source of the protective bubble, only to see my dad holding a hand up, palm forward.

"Anusha, stand down."

Rage filled my being once again. Enough rage that I yelled at my dad, which I never would do under normal circumstances. My teeth ground against one another. "This piece of human garbage tried to _kill_ Tlatoany, and you're telling me to _stand down_?!" I whipped back around to glare at the guy and bare my teeth. "Once you get out of there, shitstain, you're _DONE FOR._"

Apollo said in a scarily calm voice that only kept me quiet because it threatened rough punishment in any case of disobedience. "Anusha, you _will not_ attack this man. Do you understand? You've made your attack. You gave him shingles. Go too far, and you'll kill him."

I didn't turn around, still glowering at the object of my wrath. "Maybe that's what he deserves."

"You don't get that privilege. You don't get the right to destroy your human enemies in a fight like other demigods can. Most demigods are allowed to get a bit more harsh and violent with their human enemies because it doesn't really affect mass numbers of demigods like Percy Jackson and Hazel Levesque. The Seven and other powerful demigods can't and don't do that to individuals because they know that their anger has major real-world consequences in the form of natural disasters. You're not so different. You get angry enough, and you can start a pandemic. Your forefathers certainly did. That's why you need to stop this, right now. This guy can't fight anymore. You've crippled him with freaking shingles." I don't know who he was toning down the cursing for. The class consisted primarily of tweens. "You keep going and attack him further, and you might just set off a new plague in Camp itself. Gain a damn conscience, Anusha." I stiffened at the scolding, slowly ashamed that the god I'd come to love and adore as my dad claimed I had no conscience. Apollo went a step further. "Your own mom didn't want to attack the guy who wronged her so horribly, and you want to kill a guy for _trying_ to kill your best friend? Are you insane, child?!"

That hurt deeply. That hurt more than I would admit. I knew in the back of my mind that he was right, but it still really broke my heart that he said that. My heart still kind of burns now when I think about that moment, but it also could be the acid reflux from eating too many spicy Cheetos, so I can't be sure.

Nothing came out of my mouth. There was no desire to answer his question. "Anusha Rajachari, look at me." I didn't. Louder this time. "I said, look at me. Now!" my dad hissed.

I balefully made a one-eighty turn and looked him in the face, figuring he wanted to make that eye contact with me. "You do not get to whale on people like this. You are a plague-bringer. You have to operate within certain moral limits. Olympus has already been waiting and watching to wipe you off the face of the Earth the moment you take a step too far. Your predecessors have been the perpetrators of so many major epidemics and plagues. They've always been considered criminals because of their nature. Disease brings nothing but pain and suffering, Anusha. And humanity will always hate anything and anyone that brings disease. There used to be a few plague bringers for every twenty of my children. You're the first in almost three-quarters of a millennium. Why do you think that is?"

Words didn't want to leave my lips. The whole world stilled, and shame eventually consumed me. I shrugged in response, unsure of what else to do.

Apollo's voice broke this time. He rubbed at a stray tear and glared right into my eyes. "I told you this already. They were massacred. Every one of them. If plague-bringers were spotted in any century, someone would wipe them out from existence. I could do nothing because my fellow Olympians always said this was for the better, that this would protect humanity. _My own family_, the people I love and respect and have known for centuries…they themselves said that _the death of my children_ would benefit humanity. No one on this earth knows how much that hurts…no one at all. I took a huge risk by blessing you with these powers upon your birth, Anusha. Such an insane risk. All I want is for you to be the exception, to make me happy about not losing another plague-bringer. Don't you want me to be happy?"

Tears choked me, preventing any verbal response. I simply nodded.

My father sighed shakily, trying to breathe away the tears. "Then you need to show Olympus that you deserve these powers. That you're worthy of this ability. Because if you don't, I'll have lost yet another plague-bringer, and I'm not sure I can handle it this time, honey. I just can't." Tears rose in my eyes, a culmination of shame, regret, fear, heartache, guilt, rage, and determination. "You need to swear you won't do anything to this person. Not anymore."

I wordlessly placed a hand over my heart and bowed my head, rivers of emotional pain streaking down my cheeks. Apollo took that as my vow and nodded, stepping closer to me. He pulled me into a hug, kissing the top of my head as I silently sobbed into his chest. Everything hurt at that moment. Every single thing in the world hurt. The only thing that didn't make me want to jump off the highest seat in the Arena was Dad's comforting scent and loving embrace.

The guy sat up and coughed, looking up at Apollo as if my dad had put the sun in the sky, gratitude spilling out of wide sapphire eyes. "Th-Thank you, sir…"

Dad smiled gently at the young man. "You are quite welcome, kid. But seriously. Are you just as insane as my daughter? Why in the world would you attack Tlatoany when you know he's the best friend of a plague-bringer?"

"Just doin' my job, sir. Nothing personal until your bitchy-"

Apollo's glare at that guy made getting scolded worth it.

"Sorry. Nothing personal until your _daughter_ stabbed me in the arm."

I scowled. "Right. Because trying to _stab my best friend_ is an impersonal, casual act." Pulling away from the safety and comfort of my father's arms, I glowered at the teen in question. "Seriously, dumbass? You tried to hurt my best friend, and you want me to shut up and accept it like it's no big deal? You must really have no brain cells left if you think I would have stayed quiet. Well, now, since you've been found out…" I smirked. "You're going to tell me everything about your little scheme to try and stop this quest, or I'll just give you more shingles virus, and nothing anyone says will stop me."

Apollo grunted in a warning tone, "Anuuu…"

"I'm not gonna hurt him too much. Just inconvenient itches and rashes that last for days. No more than that. I promise," I assured my dad.

Tlatoany coughed. "A bit serial-killer-esque, Anu, but good point. He's been sent here to spy on us and possibly kill us. Maybe knowing the identity of whoever employs him will give us a good starting point for the quest," he reasoned.

I sneered at the dude again. "You try this with anyone, and I'll strike you down right there. You ingrates took my sister. If you think I'll spare you again if you actually hurt anyone, you are sorely mistaken."

With a groan, my father rubbed his face and barked quickly and only once. "Anusha! What did I just say about operating within moral limits?!"

"Alright, alright, fine. Sorry." With one last death stare at the teen, I trudged over to Tlato's side and held onto his waist, leaning into him protectively. My giant buddy could only pat and rub my back to calm me down.

Sherman looked at me. "Are we gonna continue the practice? We've only got thirty minutes of class left."

I nodded. "Yes. We'll continue as soon as Dad takes that worm out of here. If we can't finish everything Nico planned for us in these thirty minutes, I'll have these guys practice and use it later this evening at the sword-fighting match for my bet," I promised. My fellow instructor relented, knowing that was a good enough plan considering the situation.

Apollo walked closer and kissed my forehead, murmuring softly in Malayalam, "_I'm glad you chose mercy over revenge. We'll talk later tonight, okay?"_ I sighed in agreement. Not like I can say no to a god, and especially not my dad, who's the only one that really had my back so far.

Reggie moved forward, approaching my dad while asking, "Um, Apollo? Am I allowed to call you just Apollo? Does there have to be a 'Lord' at the front? Anyways, um, sorry. But uh, how come you stepped in for this issue? Couldn't Anusha's sister Naomi have handled it? Or maybe one of your other kids?"

The sun god shook his head, rubbing his face with both hands after freeing the jackass from the protective bubble. "Not exactly. To be frank with you, Reginald, Anusha's powers are kind of more dangerous than she realizes. Yes, she has plague and disease powers, but she has no polar opposite. Let me use the example of the Seven. Percy Jackson's status as the water-controlling son of Poseidon stands opposite to Leo Valdez's abilities as Hephaestus' fire user. Nico di Angelo's earth and shadow-based powers contrast with the lightning and storms that Thalia Grace inherited from Zeus." He sighed and ruffled my hair, a tired and exasperated smile coming to his face.

"The issue with plague-bringers is that they don't have a natural opposite like those guys. Anu is plague and disease, and those are only offset by healing and medicine. Sure, Will is a great healer, but his healing is more personal, more specific to each individual. His healing doesn't affect great numbers of people simultaneously like Anu's plagues. So, I have to step in and oppose her destructive nature."

Tlatoany snorted, rolling his eyes as he rubbed my back. "Great. So now, if she ever goes ballistic, we might either die or need divine protection."

Apollo grinned. "That, I have a solution for. I'll give it to you kids tomorrow. Anyways, get back to training. I'll bring this kid to Chiron and Dionysus." He smiled widely at Maximus, who stood near the stage just behind Tlato, having come closer to watch my enraged fight against the intruder. Maximus stumbled back a few feet at the sun god's sudden attention towards him. "And one more thing." Dad walked closer to the goth teen and pulled him forward to stand beside me. "Anu, I'd like you to meet your newest sibling. Maximus, welcome to my family. It's good to see you, buddy. I'll come spend a few hours with you tomorrow, okay?"

With a wink and a kiss to the tall guy's forehead, my father strolled away, keeping the almost-murderer bound in magically-conjured ropes that glowed gold in the afternoon sun. Maximus' shocked expression etched itself into my mind that day. He looked at me and gaped. "We're…siblings?"

I grinned and stepped away from Tlato to hold a hand out to Maximus. "Well. Good to see I'm not gonna be the only unusual member of Cabin Seven today!"

A pause and a painful silence later, Maximus gave me a pleading look, blue eyes wide, pupils narrowed, face paler than his palms. Every part of him shook like an earthquake rumbled below us without our knowledge, even though his shoulders tensed and held themselves up to the level of his neck. "A-Anusha, right? I need to confess something…" My hand lowered in response to his petrified plea.

Clearly, this guy had hidden something serious. And not knowing who to go to, he wanted to confess his secret to me. Putting both hands on his shoulders, I spoke softly. "Whoa, buddy. Whoa. Slow down. It's alright. I'm planning to meet with these guys in the Apollo cabin after this class. You can join me, too. Of course, I'll have to ask that you wait outside while the three of us talk, but once they leave, we can get to discussing whatever your issue is, okay?" Maximus' whole body slumped with relief.

He nodded slowly, rubbing his face. "Okay. Okay. Okay, alright. Let's just…let's get this class over with. I am so, so tired."

"Me too, brother. Me too."

I clapped my hands and looked around at the others expectantly. "Well? What are you waiting for, an invite? Get back to practicing, kiddos!" I joked.

A few scattered laughs and twenty eyes rolling, everyone rejoined their groups and continued fighting.

Oh, what a weird day it had proved to be…

Too bad it was about to get weirder.

* * *

The rest of the lesson moved on smoothly, no hiccups at all, except for Reggie getting too excited and almost giving Tlato a concussion during a one-on-one in the group practice match at the end of the lesson. Everyone performed twice as well as I thought they would, mastering every single concept and move that Nico had wanted us to learn that day. I couldn't figure out why that was, but now I realize it was just because they were kind of scared and determined.

It sucked when I discovered it, but I know why. They saw me as a threat. Someone with no opposing force or element is dangerous, very dangerous. And Apollo couldn't always come down and stop me if I ever lost my marbles. So, they had to be prepared to fight me and defeat me just in case, for their safety and for everyone else's safety. Because as long as they occupied my attention with a sword, I wouldn't reach for my plagues. They learned so quickly because, in reality, _I_ was the monster they would have to defeat.

Damn good logic, really. I applaud those kids.

After the class, I headed down to the Apollo cabin and waited for my boys to show up, munching peacefully on some dried mango slices and sipping on peach soda. My siblings left so I could talk about the quest with my companions in peace.

Tlato and Reggie knocked on the door before stepping in, both looking refreshed and relaxed while I probably looked like a hobo with the fashion style of a teenage girl obsessed with girl power music. "So," Reginald began.

I sighed. "The dream?" My back leaned up against the pillows on my bed, I kept my head up and looked the boys in the eyes. If I was going to keep these idiots functional even through all the stress, I had to be confident myself. Both had enough going on in their lives. Tlato lost his mom, and Reggie lost his closest recent friend. Between the three of us, I held the best chance of not letting any of my personal issues affect the mission. That's the philosophy I had to keep if I wanted us to succeed. The quest before anything else.

Recognition lit up his eyes. "Right! Yeah, so, I had a dream about you holding a giant diamond in a cave and trying to give it away to Izzy and some other kid without any monsters stealing it. The thing was huge, about the size of a large orange. It wasn't the necklace or anything like that. It was perfectly clear and huge, probably thirty-five karats or more," he admitted.

Something about that seemed weird to me. Nothing about another gem had popped up at all in the past few weeks, and the counselors never mentioned anything like that. But I had a feeling this was true, that another precious stone would be involved in the quest. "I'll ask Chiron and Will and see if they know anything about another gem. Don't worry. Anything else to talk about?"

Tlatoany reached over and pulled me into another hug. "You gotta take care of yourself, Anu. You'll need your strength for tomorrow. Promise me you won't push yourself too hard tonight and tomorrow morning." Unable to refuse his kindhearted request, I agreed, resting my head against his heart. "Good. Now, I'm sure you just want to speak to your new brother, so we'll let you be. See you at dinner." He pressed his right cheek to mine, standing still for a few moments, and Reggie hugged me before both teens left together.

Maximus practically sprinted inside and tossed himself at me in a helpless, desperate hug. The poor kid sobbed and clung to me, begging for forgiveness. I rubbed his back and held his face to my shoulder, letting him cry as much as he needed. He eventually calmed down and sat back, wiping away the last of his tears with the heels of his palms. Maximus' soft blue eyes raged red from the crying spell, face puffy and blushing from the increased blood circulation.

"Now that you've chilled out, tell me what exactly is going on, Maximus," I coaxed. I didn't know what kind of seriousness his secret demanded, but if my instincts spoke only the truth, this was a huge issue.

The newest son of Apollo gazed down forlornly at my gold and green blanket, rubbing his hands together to warm them up. For a son of Apollo, Maximus had startlingly pale skin. A couple of us had dark hair, but we all had some level of a tan simply from being in the sun for long periods of time so often or from being non-white. His shoulders shivered. His hands wrung. His eyes narrowed. His pulse spiked. His jaw clenched. His whole body sweated. All the makings of anxiety. Definitely, this was a big issue.

"You were attacked by the same group that kidnapped your sister. They kept trying to kill you during your self-exile. They snatched up your sister, and this newest guy tried to kill your best friend."

My heart thundered. "How do you know about-"

He sighed. "Let me finish, sis." I could only nod, my mouth hanging open and drying quickly. "These guys are the reason for this quest, actually. Their leader is an older woman named Ash. She's the mastermind of this whole mess." With another pause, he breathed and met my eyes. "I was sent here by her to kill you. She knew I was a son of Apollo long before I did. She sent me here on purpose because she knew you wouldn't kill your own family members. This guy was my partner in crime, my best friend…my lover. We always work together. But this was a step too far. I came in yesterday. I saw how you treated everyone, how you treated your family and friends. I saw how much you loved people and how much your people loved you. I have that one policy. I only attacked loners, never communal people. I didn't want to attack you and confessed this to the other guy. His name is Brandon. He got pissed when he learned I didn't want to participate anymore. He swore to kill you and then me. He originally wanted to go for you, but after my betrayal, he did take things personally. He wanted to hurt you by killing off your friend."

My mouth had closed when he began his long story. This did shock me, but I had so little energy left to express any form of surprise. "What else?"

Maximus exhaled and looked at me. "This goes way beyond just someone taking your sister or someone wanting that necklace. It's basically a huge cult-army scheme led by Ash. This woman is insane. She has no conscience. No one's ever seen her, but everyone who has takes her word as gospel. It's like they're enamored with her, or under a spell of some sort. She brings in these demigods who hate their godly parents and gives them a home and nurtures their hatred. She always picks the ones with bad home lives and no relationship to their godly parent. And once they volunteer to enlist in her army, she brings them in and has them go through this initiation ceremony, after which they kind of turn into her minions that go out and try to recruit more people. Brandon was initiated. I wasn't. This was actually supposed to be the mission that determined whether I was worthy of joining her army. She hates any children of Apollo. A personal vendetta, I think. She sent me here to kill you because she knows Apollo- I mean…Dad comes here on the seventh of every month, and she knew he would claim me, and she knows you have high loyalty to your family, primarily your siblings."

This was a lot to take in. This was too much to take in. Thoughts swirled around my head, a fucked-up cocktail of curiosity and fear and helplessness and anger. I felt sick. So, so sick. Never did I imagine this one quest going so deep, so harsh, so sinister. A slave trade with vulnerable demigods? Are you fucking kidding me? This was too much. I had to get away, I had to leave. A quest to go save a kid is one thing. Getting involved with a criminal demigod-trader is another. But what other choice did I have? No one else at Camp could handle this. This quest, and now this mess, had chosen me to handle them. Maximus could have talked about this with anyone, from Dad to Tlatoany. But he decided to talk to me. So, this meant whatever Maximus had told me was my responsibility.

But I feel sorry for the guy. I kept silent for almost four straight minutes without any pause because my train of thought had derailed entirely from the conversation. And in that awkward, wordless silence from me, Maximus had begun sobbing again, seemingly more anxious and terrified than before he told me all this. Along with his helpless whimpering, he'd begun begging me to not let the others get him and try to hurt him for his apparent treachery. He sobbed, requesting me through sobs to protect him.

With a heart of glass and a mind of stone, I reached forward and pulled my brother into a hug, holding onto him tightly. Something told me he'd been ostracized too much since childhood. It wasn't the dark clothing or his physical features, but rather, his demeanor and his hesitation to do anything without someone's approval. "You are my brother. We've both seen too much shit in our lives. I don't know your story. I won't force it out of you, Maximus. But hear me now: I have your back."

A few minutes later, Maximus soothed himself again, and I pulled him up and out of the cabin. He shivered and keened like an injured pup, but I didn't stop, leading him all the way to the Big House, where most of the campers had collected. Mr. D, Apollo, and Chiron stood behind the young man who'd tried to kill Tlato. People must have seen something startling about my expression because they parted for me as I approached the stage. I urged Maximus to stand beside Brandon, who knelt on the wood, hands and feet bound by rope.

Chiron looked to me, his face shadowed with stiff concern. "Anusha, would you care to explain to me what exactly is going on here?"

I braced myself. Public speaking wasn't really my forte until recently, and I still wasn't very good, even after helping Nico with the sword-fighting lessons. A deep breath in and a deep breath out. I nodded at him, Mr. D, and Apollo before addressing the crowd.

"This guy next to me is Maximus Harper, my new brother. He and this dude, Brandon, were sent to Camp to kill me. They both belong to the group that attacked me during my self-exile and kidnapped my baby sister Izzy. Maximus was called to the mission because he's a son of Apollo, and the leader and mastermind behind their operation, a woman named Ash, knew I wouldn't ever attack a sibling. Maximus and Brandon came in yesterday. Maximus was assigned to kill me himself, but he decided against it, and confessed this to Brandon, his boyfriend and best friend and partner. Brandon grew angry at being betrayed and tried to kill Tlato first as a means of hurting me before killing me. There is a much deeper issue here than attacks against me, my sister's kidnap, and the murder attempt against Tlatoany. I am reluctant to tell you all to avoid actual panic, but I shall inform the head counselors, Mr. D, and Chiron."

Murmurs of concern and fear washed over the large congregation of campers, each person wearing layers upon layers of doubt and wariness on their face. One teen, a son of Hephaestus, I think, blurted out, "Well, this Brandon guy is obviously terrible. But what about Maximus? He lied to us and almost betrayed us before we even knew he wasn't one of us!"

A daughter of Athena sneered, "We can trust someone who's struggled with choosing sides but always came back to join us like Nico di Angelo, but we cannot trust someone who lies and tries to hurt us from the beginning!" The group stepped forward, wolfish eyes trained on Maximus, whose silent sobs broke my heart. I stepped forward in front of him, blocking the others' advances.

"No! Just stop it! I learned a very valuable lesson today. Mercy. You gotta learn to have mercy. So what if he lied at first and pretended to like us with intentions of hurting us? Maximus decided to spare my life and instead tell me the truth so I could protect you all. Maximus has been telling me everything about this whole mess, and I'm sure he can tell us more. You guys wanna fight a bad guy? Tell Brandon off. He tried to kill my best bud. But Maximus has learned right from wrong. And if he steps out of line or does anything wrong, I'll take responsibility for it!" My brother's cries ceased at that. An eerie silence hung behind me.

"I will personally take responsibility for his mistakes. He's under my protection. If he does anything wrong, it'll be on me, okay? Just let the guy be. Maximus has seen too much in his life."

I didn't hear anything, but the newest member of Cabin Seven put a hand on my shoulder. I craned my head back to look at him and grin, rubbing away his tears. "It's alright, buddy. Relax. It's okay."

The crowd dispersed with glares towards me and Maximus, and eventually, I was left with the five males on the front porch of the Big House. My lungs pushed out a huge sigh, and Apollo laughed broadly. "Well done, sweetheart. Still a long way to go, but at least you're on the right path." Without another second to spare, Dad rushed forward and enveloped Maximus in a hug. My poor brokenhearted brother sobbed and clung to Apollo, tears staining the beautiful sky blue shirt my paternal parent donned.

Brandon gritted his teeth. "What happened to, 'Oh, my dad's a fucking deadbeat. He never loved me, otherwise, why would he have left? I hate him so much!'"

Maximus pulled away from our dad and walked around the asshole, glowering down at him. "I learned what family is supposed to feel like, you jackass. I learned what love is supposed to feel like. You can take your toxic bullshit with you." I whistled loudly and clapped, proud that my brother was finally getting some of that confidence, enough to tell off his murderous boyfriend. "You wanted to _kill_ me? Just because I wanted to live a peaceful life and be happy here? Fine. I'm dead. You don't need to talk to me anymore." He walked away, shoulders a bit lower and looser, eyes even and unmoving. Even his tears had stopped.

But he suddenly didn't move, pausing his proud walk forward. He returned to stand in front of his now ex-boyfriend and _socked him across the face_. "And that's for all the abuse and emotional shit you foisted on me. I'd do more, but like Anusha said. We gotta show mercy, even to bitches like you."

I laughed like I never had before. I had a new favorite brother. "WHOO! FUCK YEAH!"

Apollo sighed. "Honey, please. Watch your language."

Maximus and I looked at each other and then replied simultaneously, creepy twin grins stretching our cheeks. "Whoops, I'm sorry, Dad!"

* * *

**Translations**

1\. "_Reginald quiere hablar con nosotros. Me dijo que debemos encontrarnos con él antes del fogón. Qué te parece?"_

Reginald wants to speak with us. He told me that we should meet with him before the campfire. What do you think?

2\. "_De que quiere __él__ 'blar? Es sobre la misión?"_

What does he want to talk about? Is it about the mission?

3\. "_Tuvo un sueño anoche. Algo de una gema muy grande, como un diamante."_

He had a dream last night. Something about a big gem, like a diamond.

4\. "_Qué? Ya tenemos la gema de Esperanza. Por qué tuvo un sueño sobre ella?"_

What? We already have the Hope Diamond. Why did he have a dream about that gem?

5\. "_No. No es sobre la gema de Esperanza. Es una gema nueva. Una gema de India, yo pienso."_

No. It's not about the Hope Diamond. It's a new gem. A stone from India, I think.

6\. "_De India? ...Bién. Dile que debemos encontrarnos con él en mi cabaña, si?"_

From India? ...Okay. Tell him that we should meet with him in my cabin, yeah?


	13. I Nearly Get Killed (Again)

Seeing Anusha broken down the day Reginald awoke from his coma, that frightened me more than I will ever admit. My best friend fears none and gives no shits about anyone's opinion. She will do whatever it takes to win, whether that involves almost dying to save a boy she's only seen in her dreams or fighting complete strangers with knives she only used in practice just to protect the honor of her friend. She will take the craziest risks necessary to succeed simply because her gut told her to.

Anusha is a good measure of danger. If she's napping during a crisis and taking things easy and not worrying too much, the danger is minimal. If she's making a few plans and talking through the issue with others, there's reason to worry, but the situation will return to normal soon. If she's having a mental breakdown, everything is fucked. Of course, I didn't know her well enough to measure levels of danger back then. I was only fourteen and knew her for a maximum of two weeks. But when she broke down completely and sobbed like a child in the infirmary the day of my mother's funerary rites, fear clouded my heart. I never knew her to cry this much. No matter how much physical or emotional pain she felt, she never expressed it to me or her other friends. She hid it away deep within herself and put on a brave smile.

Compared to the sight of my best friend completely losing it, speaking to my father for the second time since I came to Camp felt like a walk in the park.

* * *

"So…I hear you're close with that crazy girl of Apollo's." Dad was still kinda awkward with his kids. He told us this later on, but he'd been taking parenting lessons from Hestia and Apollo, so there was much improvement from when Clarisse was cabin counselor but not enough improvement to exceed Apollo in parenting skill.

I nodded, shoulders aching from all the tension I'd kept in them. "Yeah. Anusha." It felt good to wear my usual clothes again and not be so exposed. I knew a lot of people were staring at me when I wore the Nahua clothing, and I didn't mind it at first because dressing in the fashion of my people made me feel at home and connected to my mother, but it got weird when some Aphrodite girls started giggling and pointing at me. I couldn't figure out what was so funny, but it kind of hurt, so I changed as quickly as possible, pulling on my jeans and orange Camp T-shirt and shoes.

Dad had replaced his black and red chiton with ripped black jeans, a red muscle shirt, his favorite leather jacket with a wild boar's head design on the back, and his usual leather gloves and combat boots. He tugged at the sleeves of his jacket as we sat alone in the cabin and conversed. "She hurt you. You're already friends with her again?" came his grunted query.

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I managed with, "I know she did. But I hurt her, too. We apologized. We're okay now. I don't think either of us can deal with being separated for so long. Just something special about being teens of color relying on each other in times of difficulty, I guess."

He nodded slowly, pensively, the heartbroken expression from the ceremony now softened into an exhausted acceptance of everything that he encountered. "She good to you?" I got the feeling Dad had read too deeply into my friendship with the weird daughter of Apollo and wanted to insinuate something romantic, but I kept it simple.

"Yep. She is."

"Hmm." Dad nodded again, this time taking a few moments to look me in the face. "How do you feel about this upcoming quest, kid?"

Then, I crumbled.

I felt shitty. I felt unprepared. I felt overwhelmed. I felt unsuccessful and a failure. I felt pathetic and weak. "Alright. Just kinda stressed."

Then, Ares laughed. Not the dim chuckling he usually gives us. No. A big, bright, boisterous laugh of pride and joy and amusement. He stopped, eventually, and properly looked me in the eyes, the flames of his eyes bright and uncovered by the lack of sunglasses. "Boy, I may not have been around in your life very long, but I know what a lie sounds like. Come on. You can tell me this. I treated Clarisse without this much affection and stuff. It was bad. But I'm learning, and I want you to know I've got your back." The god of war smiled softly and reached a hand out and pressed it to my back. "Talk to me, son."

It rushed out like a river during flood season.

No, I didn't cry, but I spilled every fear and worry that had plagued me since the day I received that very first prophecy from Rachel six or so years ago.

"…and I know that Anusha has my back, but it sometimes doesn't feel like enough because she's only been here a month and doesn't know how hard it really is. I think Reggie gets it because he's had to travel across the damn country to get here, but I just don't know him well, and now I feel like I have to carry all this weight alone, and I think I'm going to shatter if I have to do that for too long." I panted as I finished my rant, putting my face in my hands. My hair scratched the back of my neck, leaving prickling sensations all over the skin of my shoulders. Each itchy area felt magnified by a million, and I could feel the panic set in as everything became more intense. Too much light. Too much sound. Too much scent. Too much taste. Too much everything.

Before I could say or do or feel anything else, Ares grabbed my head and pressed our foreheads together. He didn't let me look at or listen to anything, covering my ears with his fingers and blocking my peripheral vision with the heels of his palms. I couldn't feel any tears, but my face felt too warm, and my throat felt too tight. Dad's voice washed over me, blocking out all other noise.

"Don't think about the quest. Think about my words, Tlatoany. You are a son of Ares. I am the god of war. War is not fought by individuals. War is fought by armies. You have an army of your own. Your siblings. Your friends. This camp. Not everyone knows you, but they'll stand by you. Because you're a good kid. Because half-bloods stand and fight and die together. You feel like you're alone, but you're not. You have your friends and family. While your siblings can't join you on the quest, they can still check up on you, and you'll have those two kids. Sure, Anusha and Reginald are new to this. They're inexperienced, but they have experiences and lives and strengths of their own. You have to trust them. You overthink a lot, my son. You lose yourself in the details and forget the bigger picture. You and your friends have interconnected flaws and advantages. You need to let your friends carry the burden with you, Tlatoany. Okay?"

By the end of his talk, I'd calmed down significantly, and my head cleared. The god smiled and pulled away from me, hands settling down at his sides again. Without wasting a second. I lunged forward and tossed both arms around his neck and pressed my face into his shoulder. That's when the tears began flowing. "Thanks, Dad…"

With a grunt and a sigh of exasperated love, Ares returned the hug, pressing his face into my hair. "…I uh, I have a lot of trouble telling my kids this, but I really do love you, buddy. Truly. I, for the longest time, was so used to giving my children the distant love most of the gods give to their kids. My sons Deimos and Phobos and Eros don't really need a great amount of affection, being gods themselves. But I forgot that my human children are different and need more attention and care. Sherman and Clarisse and the older ones grew up without this, Tlato. But I'm doing this now because I know you need it. I love you, kid. You and the rest of your siblings. Don't you ever forget it." With a shiver and a single sigh, I sat back, gazing tearfully at my dad.

He smiled that cocky, badass grin he usually gives us as a greeting and wiped away my tears. "There's my strong man. I know you got this, kiddo. You do. Now, go out there and rule the world. I'll be watching over you. Can't promise any help, but I definitely won't let you or the other two die."

I knew he didn't mention my mother. I was glad for it, actually. We both knew how we felt. We both knew how the other felt. We both knew we would get past it together with my siblings, as we always did when push comes to shove.

I laughed, the tears slowing their stream as my mental state improved with each passing moment. "Thanks, Dad. I really appreciate it."

Ares rolled his eyes, still smiling with exasperation. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Run along, kid." He huffed when I gave him one last hug and ran out the door, ready to deal with the world.

Yes, that was a really small and quick moment. No, I didn't need a lot from my dad. I didn't need hours and hours of bonding time or long conversations about my life. I needed a momentary reassurance. A few check-ups once in a while and maybe a few hours spent just talking with him with all of my siblings around. (We're the type of cabin that lives, fights, and dies together. An 'all for one, one for all' mentality, so we like having everyone involved in everything, most of the time.) I knew he loved me, even if it was only said this one moment.

But before I could get past the door frame, my siblings stopped me and forced me back inside. "And where do you think _you're_ going, Castillo?" Mark joked.

I frowned. "Uh, to see Anusha and check on Reginald?"

Sherman smirked, laughing roughly before shoving me back into the cabin and making me sit on my bed. "You can go see your girlfriend later. We need some family time. 'All of us together' kind of family time." I sputtered in disbelief of what he said.

"She's not my girlfriend! Hell, we haven't spoken in two weeks! She's also my best friend. There's a reason those two things have two separate names."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I'm in a relationship, Tlato. I know what love looks like. You love that chick."

Groaning, I put my hands over my face as Ares and the others started laughing, amused at my despair. "Guys, I think I would know if I love my best friend or not. Besides, platonic love is a thing."

Kayda giggled as she ran to sit beside Dad and let him pet her head. She squeaked out rudely, "I don't think so. You're the kind of person to say people only go into relationships for the financial benefits after marriage. You also don't know how many girls actually like you. You just think they're making fun of you, but they're giggling because they don't know how to act around you, stupid."

I gaped. That was the most she'd spoken since she first arrived at Camp. Not to mention, I hadn't expected such a harsh rebuttal from my angelic baby sister. "Ouch," the god of war hissed. "That was a good one, sweetheart." Ares smirked down at the young girl proudly, and Kayda gave him that sweet smile she gives people to get out of trouble and leaned her head against his chest.

"Seriously, does everyone think I love Anusha? That's just not right!"

James snorted. "Bro, when you first saw her again, you looked like she'd just offered you the Moon as a gift. And then you guys had that dramatic hug. You even give each other forehead kisses, and you press your faces together whenever you see her. Seems like love to me."

Huffing and still miffed, I crossed my arms and grumbled to myself. My other sister, Delilah, smirked and sat on my bed beside me. "Tlatoany, even if you can't admit it, we know it's true."

"Oh, yeah? How?" I retorted, squinting at her, with her red and purple bob and deep ebony skin and daring cocoa eyes.

She grinned and bumped shoulders with me. "Love and War are two sides of the same coin, brother dear. Dad would know. He's dating Love Herself. The same kind of passion, but with opposite applications. You're a son of Ares, so you know war. But I think we all also inherently know love. It's sometimes harder for us, but we understand it well. Even our old counselor Clarisse was best friends with Silena, one of the nicest Aphrodite girls I've ever heard of. If _Clarisse_ can get along that well with a daughter of Love, you can know love too."

I stared at her. "Those were all completely unconnected points, but I think I get what you mean. Anyways, can we move to a new topic? This is getting increasingly uncomfortable…"

Ares nodded, rolling his eyes. "Fine, fine. Whatever. Something new. Lover-boy is too afraid to admit his feelings," he teased. I groaned and fell backwards onto the bed, covering my face. "You guys only exist to torment me."

"Possibly, yeah!" Max piped up. My other siblings nodded in agreement, snickering and pushing each other around while grinning at me.

"I hate you people. Let's get to the point. Why exactly am I here right now? I have a best friend to get back to." Sherman rolled his eyes and lobbed a baseball at my head. I caught it in time, but it almost smashed into my cranium. "Hey!"

My eldest brother huffed and settled his gaze on me. "Tlatoany, this is the first time Dad's here to hang with us. We need to be with him. All of us together. I know you probably want to rush to her side to escape the sadness you've been developing since that day you received your mom's flag, but you need to be here. You need to acknowledge it. You need to spend time with your family. Our family."

My lips curled downwards, and I looked away. I didn't want to acknowledge shit. It's hard enough coming out of a depressive state that lasted two weeks. It's even harder to do that after spending one week mourning your mom. It's even harder to do that after finding one of your friends comatose and after speaking to the other for the first time after a huge fall-out. I felt no desire to come to terms with anything I'd experienced in the past two weeks. I was perfectly content to sit and move on with my life like nothing happened to begin with. Something in the recesses of my mind told me that was wrong and unhealthy, but I didn't plan on listening to that thing.

"Tlatoany, look at me, my son." Ares' voice swelled within the cabin, filling our ears in a comforting but raw tone. I met my father's eyes, and his words rang in my mind. Fiery red orbs glared into my own, and I thought I couldn't breathe for a second.

"Not acknowledging your pain will only further it. I know you don't want to contact your own feelings and internal monologue, but it'll hold you back if you don't." He paused and smiled. "That girl Anusha, Apollo's little rat, is kind of like you. So focused on her gut that she doesn't want to deal with her feelings. She's a bit more in tune with them because she grew up connecting well with her mother and has grown into a people person to survive back in her home city and here at Camp. But that doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. She still fears her heart like you do."

Ares hummed and looked at Sherman, who nodded sagely in agreement. He turned to me again. "Even more than her, Reginald is very in tune with his emotions. You must learn to do the same, Tlatoany. You have to acknowledge and let yourself feel the things you feel. If not, you risk losing touch with your true self. Sounds unclear, but it'll all make sense soon."

I said nothing, and the cabin fell into silence. Even someone turning their head to look at something out the window seemed to echo throughout the room. "I didn't know you kept so many tabs on the people I'm apparently questing with." I wanted to avoid talking about myself as much as possible. I figured maybe this topic would pull the focus away from me and onto my friends. Well, my best friend and my friend-to-be. And I had no idea what quest he had been talking about since there hadn't been one issued yet, but I assumed it was connected to the prophecy I got from Rachel on my first day at Camp and to the dreams Anusha and I had about each other and Reginald. After all, he mentioned it earlier on, and I talked about the stress about that prophecy, and he responded to it rather than correcting me.

My father smiled and stood, gently moving Kayda away and onto the lap of one of my sisters before crossing the sea of my siblings to reach me on my bed. He ducked his head to avoid smacking into the upper bunk, plopping down beside me. Scarlet eyes like the flames of burning cities smoldered, the black of his pupils more burnt ash and dead dirt than mere darkness. Ares landed a hand on my back and kissed my temple with more gentleness than I thought possible.

His voice shivered.

"Tlatoany, every demigod's business is the gods' business, especially when our kids' friends are involved. Anusha is the kind of girl every god should be watching out for." Ares let out a clandestine sigh, eyes now more like a sad fireplace than a scorched sky. He chuckled lowly and looked at me with great care and deliberation.

"My son," he began, "too few people here have realized the danger of her presence, save for Chiron, Hades' boy, and that Solace kid. Dionysus couldn't care less, as far as I can tell. He'll be there to protect his son should there be any incident. But the other gods can't be here to save their children if Anusha sends a plague through the Camp. The last plague-bringer of Apollo's caused the Black Death. You know, the one that wiped out sixty percent or more of Europe's population? That one. That same power now exists in your best friend. She's a danger to all of you."

My blood boiled without my conscious control. Heat rose in my face and chest, and I was almost ready to throw hands. "Anusha is the last person to do something like that. She's been nothing but kind to everyone here. Yeah, there were a few people she whooped, but she never used her powers against anyone at all! I can't believe you'd say that about her!" I hissed.

Ares put his hands up and sighed, nodding his head. Okay, maybe I should have spoken more respectfully, but my dad was insulting my best friend, the one person who knew me and cared for me more than anyone else here, except maybe my siblings. "I know. I know she hasn't. But that doesn't mean she can't. Tlatoany, you're speaking with bias. Use your logic like you always do." I cooled off immediately at that.

He was right.

I was thinking with all my bias and personal feelings about my dear friend rather than trying to understand his point of view. I sat back and watched my father carefully. "Anusha is a plague-bringer. That's a fact. She has incredible power. That's also a fact. She may prove to be a great danger to everyone if she ever gets excessively angry. That's another fact. You can't ignore that she's got some concerning abilities. Taking away and putting in disease, manipulating the flow and movement of illness and pain, that's frightening. In Olympus' opinion, she poses a greater threat than any demigod would like to acknowledge. She might hurt you all, and that's a chance we'd rather not take. The same was believed about Percy Jackson, right? For good reason. The kid is probably the strongest demigod of this millennium. But he's learned to control himself and his powers. Anusha has not. She's only learned to use her powers properly, not to restrain them. Just be careful around her."

I scowled and rubbed my face. As much as I hated to admit it, Anusha was a threat. She was dangerous. And if she was going on this quest with me, I needed some way to keep her powers under control. For my and Reginald's sakes. We couldn't let her fly loose if she ever decided that self-control had no place in her life during the quest.

"So do you see why I'm keeping careful watch of your friends?"

"You've said nothing about Reginald or anyone else," I pointed out.

He nodded. "True. But that's because he hasn't displayed any abilities that are of great concern to us. The greatest worry might be that if he ran at you at his average speed, he'd probably shatter your entire skeleton from the sheer force of impact due to momentum. But that's not as big a reason to worry as Anusha's entire existence."

"Fair enough…" And then I went quiet.

My siblings and father chatted it up, letting me ponder my fate in silence. After about twenty minutes of not participating, I got to my feet and walked out the door, waiting and watching the world from the steps. Mark soon joined me, arms crossed as he observed the other campers in peace.

"It bothers me that Dad thinks my best friend is a threat to my life. That a quest is looming over my head before Reggie's even woken up. That I have to deal with my best friend falling apart because our third member of the trio is in a coma. There's so much on my head. Dad tried to comfort me, but he tells me all these things about my closest companion in this entire camp that seem like warnings to stay away from her, and I feel like I'm trying to walk through a foggy forest of thorns. I don't know where I'm going, and every move I make hurts." I pressed my face into my hands and tried to not shake. I wasn't ready for more crying or sadness or heartache. I wanted all of this to end so I could just be at peace with my friends and family again.

Mark sighed. "I have no answers for you, Tato. None at all. I have no advice or suggestions or anything. But let me tell you what I saw in Anusha that day she and I reconciled. She looked like a scarecrow with emotional trauma. When she spoke to me, she looked like she gave up and found new determination at the same time. She'd resigned herself to the fact that you might never speak to her again and that your friendship was broken. She was determined to help your mother pass on in the right way and be happy at least in the afterlife. She looked like she was ready to be upset forever because at least today was going to be marvelous. Just. Whatever you do, make sure she knows you love her. I know you do. You don't gotta hide it or be embarrassed about it with me."

I rubbed my face and looked down. "I barely know my own feelings about myself. How the hell would I know what love is?"

He chuckled and smacked my back. "Babies don't know what a woman is, but they can tell their mother from a bunch of random women. How would they know who their mother is if they don't know _what_ a mother is?" Dumbstruck. I was dumbstruck. Mark moved closer and tossed an arm around my shoulders, towering over me by about six inches. "Intuition. Love and family is inherent to humanity, Tatoany. Love comes in many forms, so I don't mean just romantic. Love itself is inherent to us. And just the same way a baby knows its mother before it knows what a mother is, it's possible that you love her before you know what love is supposed to feel like."

I hated to even acknowledge this, but I wanted to entertain the idea, for no other reason than to at least distract myself from my bigger problems. But I still felt stressed while trying to get distracted. I turned to look up at my older brother. "Isn't it too early to call it love?"

Mark smiled. "People say that 'love at first sight' is real. Love upon seeing someone for the first time. Right? So why is 'love at first month' wrong or too early?"

"Well, you've got a point there." I had to give it to him. Mark was much much smarter than I ever gave him credit for.

He laughed, nodding his head while ruffling my hair, to my great displeasure. "I know. I'm not telling you to run after her and confess just yet. Love should happen naturally and fluidly, yes. But that doesn't mean it's wrong to speculate whether you have love for someone else. As for the quest stuff? Let fate take its course. Nothing good ever happened from getting anxious about things you can't control. Push through. Keep fighting. Support Anusha. You two will get Reggie back on his feet. I promise." Sighing, I nodded and leaned into Mark, grateful for the advice and soothing words.

"Would Dad be upset if I left now to go see her?"

"Nah. He already knows you wanna go check on her. Go. I'll handle the others. You have your emotional needs, and they have theirs."

I gave him a quick side-hug in thanks and ran off to find my Anusha.

* * *

While I walked, I conjured a plan to try and bring Reginald out of his coma. During the Second Gigantomachy, Nico di Angelo, a satyr named Gleeson Hedge, and a daughter of Bellona (a Roman war goddess who has no Greek aspect) named Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano banded together to finally bring the Greek statue of the Athena Parthenos back to Camp Half-Blood after years of being under Roman possession. They encountered many struggles trying to bring the massive figure to Camp Half-Blood in Long Island. Nico had to shadow-travel the whole way to the East Coast. Reyna let him borrow some of her strength during fights against monsters and Orion, the mythical hunter himself.

Ares isn't just bloody war and violence. He's strength and confidence and loyalty and courage. I figured that if Reyna could share her strength with Nico, us Ares kids could do the same for Reginald, though maybe not as perfectly or efficiently.

While thinking of this issue, I tried my hardest to find my best friend, asking around the infirmary and the Apollo cabin.

My heart thundered with relief when I saw Anusha and Naomi making their way towards the Pavilion from the infirmary. I caught up to them and tapped the photokinetic daughter of Apollo on the shoulder. Naomi squealed in shock like a kitten but turned and grinned at me, giving me a warm hug. Anusha practically lit up in relief and moved in to toss her arms around my neck and hold onto me the moment her sister released me. It felt like being at home, standing there while she held on for dear life. I pressed my right cheek to hers and stepped away a moment later with more irritation than I care to admit. Hugging my best friend was probably the best part of that entire day, considering the other things I'd experienced. Holding her that day for the second or third time after almost a month of separation, that was just something special to my heart.

I asked her to call some of her other siblings over while I pulled out my phone and texted Sherman and Mark to come to the Pavilion for the Reginald Emergency.

The whole time we made our way to the Pavilion, Anusha clung to my hand. In the two weeks I spent with her, I never knew her to rely on anyone like that. If anything, it was always the opposite. People always leaned on her and relied on her to help them and pull them through their issues. She hated asking for help unless it was during lessons or with some other matter. Never once did she ask for emotional help or familial support. She kept us at a distance in that aspect. Never once did she lean on anyone except the two Hermes kids she adored, Emilia and Jonah.

But that moment? During that walk? She clutched so hard onto my hand that I almost bled, as if she felt terrified that if she loosened her grip at all, the wind would whisk me away from her. I did nothing but hold on and rub the back of her palm with my thumb. It calmed her, but not significantly. I think she felt my heart rate spike when she leaned her head against my upper arm because she smiled at nothing, eyes trained on the ground.

I almost felt honored that she trusted me enough to rely on me during her time of difficulty.

I knew her weeks in self-exile were horrid, but her inability to bring Reginald out of his coma affected her more than anything else. I swore to myself and to any god who would hear my vow that I would never let her struggle alone ever again. Ten days she spent trying to save a teen she saw in her dreams and had never met. Ten days she worked endlessly to bring someone out of a coma with no improvement in sight. Ten days she let her own health deteriorate in favor of trying every possible way of helping Reggie.

As the three of us sat down at the Apollo table, Clovis from Hypnos caught our eye. Anusha and I shared looks and called out to him, rushing over to his table. I spoke first, knowing she wasn't really up to the task yet. "Clovis! I have a question for you."

The doe-eyed son of the god of sleep smiled softly. "What can I do you for?"

I sighed. "Well, I was hoping you'd be able to help me with something. You know the guy Anusha's been struggling to bring out of his coma? Reginald? Well, I was wondering if you'd be able to help her, or us, with that. He's been in a coma for ten days, and Anusha's tried literally everything. Do you have any ideas to get him out of it?"

Clovis tapped his chin and spoke quietly, the wind brushing past him sending a whiff of warm milk and lavender and vanilla my way. "Well, comas are pretty complex. I think Will had me come check on him already. Probably a week ago around this time on the same day. I tried my best, but he wouldn't wake up. Someone's keeping him in his coma deliberately. I can usually pull people out of deep sleep or unconsciousness by tugging at their minds, in kind of the same way Anusha here pulls at illness and injury. But Reginald's case is very different. Someone intentionally wants to keep him unconscious for some reason. I can't tell who or why, but that's what's happening."

To my despair, Anusha's expression darkened further, and she curled in on herself, arms hugging her torso while her head hung low, her hair a dark curtain shielding her face from the world. If Reginald's issue didn't resolve quickly, there was a high chance that she might get depressed again like in her exile, and that was bad for everyone in Camp because her powers could hurt everyone and bad for the people who love her because I didn't know if she would even make it out of this depression…alive. And that would hurt everyone who considered her a friend, family, or otherwise. Especially me, who didn't know what love was and if I felt anything like that for her.

Clovis noticed her reaction to his words and reached across the table, taking her hand gently. He spoke in baby-soft tones and with understanding eyes. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart." She said nothing, only burying her face in her hands and trying to not let any sobs out.

I pulled her into my arms and let her shiver. I knew she was just as tired of crying as I was. With a sniffle and a sigh, she moved away, and the only remaining physical contact was her head resting on my shoulder. "I know, Anu. I know…" I petted the side of her face as she rubbed her nose. We sat in silence with Clovis while waiting for the others to arrive. Naomi sat on Anusha's other side and Will joined quickly. I waited for a while before Anusha raised her head so I could move to sit beside Clovis, and Will could sit beside her. Eventually, Sherman and Mark hurried over, sitting to my left.

"We came as fast as we could. What's the issue, Tlato?" Sherman probed.

Eagerness overtook my body, and I explained my idea to the best of my ability. I hoped it would give everyone some kind of new hope or confidence, but everyone seemed just as exhausted and wary as before. Even Anusha hadn't changed her expression. She was still depressed and hesitant. She cautioned gently, "Tlato, that sounds very cool, but I'm not entirely sure how applicable it is. I mean, you guys have never even tried anything like this. I just don't wanna take a chance with Reggie's safety…"

That hurt. Immediate rejection always sucks.

Even Sherman agreed with her. "Buddy, I appreciate how determined you are to save this Reginald guy, but really, what makes you think we know how to do all that?"

Ouch. I tried to reason with them by using Anusha's example of how she taught herself to use her powers and trying to say we could do the same, but they disagreed there too.

Being rejected three entire times really sucks, and this wasn't even for any love thing. This was just brainstorming to figure out how to bring Reginald out of his coma. Finally, Anusha nodded and looked at me. I think she just felt bad because everyone kept saying no to my suggestions. She said she wanted to try something out with her siblings and that my idea would be a last resort in case nothing else worked. She said she'd tell Chiron our cabins would need some time past curfew for healing Reginald after dinner, and I promised to join her for her idea.

Right then, a little girl, a new daughter of Apollo named Izzy that arrived at Camp with Reginald, sprinted towards the table and sat beside Anusha. There was a bit of conversation between the two about dinner or something via a text-to-speech tool, and the kid grinned, stating that I would be allowed to be her best friend if I brought 'Reggie' out of the coma. Oh, that tugged at my heartstrings full-force.

All of us ate together, trying to chow down on our sandwiches and warm tomato soup as fast as we could so we had enough time to heal Reginald with Anusha's idea before the others joined us. She described her plan to me while we ran to the infirmary. I had to admit I didn't know why they didn't try this out earlier, but Anusha was ruining her health while trying to heal our third friend, so it made sense that she couldn't figure this out earlier.

The whole idea was for her to sing and use music as a way of enhancing her plague powers to pull more of the coma away from his body. We stopped in front of the infirmary and didn't move. We were too uncomfortable and nervous about this idea failing as well, even though we had my backup. I tried to not let my discomfort show, but Anusha must have noticed quickly because when I asked if she was ready, she disagreed and said she wasn't but that we had to try anyway. So, we walked up the steps and to the back area of the long, low-ceiling building towards the makeshift ICU. She paused again in front of the door, but I kept a hand on her right shoulder to encourage her to keep pushing forward. Once inside, Anusha asked me to wait outside while she healed Reginald, something about not liking when people watch her sing. I agreed and stepped out of the room while she did her thing.

She began humming a slow, sad tune once I left. It honestly made me want to cry a little. The pain in her voice had my heart aching. She wasn't half-bad, keeping in tune and in tempo and never missing a beat. Not that her voice was particularly special like the other Apollo kids, but she had a sense of rhythm that I could feel even behind the closed door. Hell, I could see it even from the first day we started sparring together. She lived with a beat strong enough to make the worlds of her loved ones quake, no matter what she did.

So, unable to hold back my curiosity, I cautiously opened the door and observed her. The girl's eyes tightly closed, I entered the room as quietly as possible and sat across from her. Strokes of purple light illuminated all around her as she worked her magic. At one point, she'd gotten so lost in her work and emotion that she began to cry. I reached a hand out to wipe away the tears, and her eyes opened, gazing down helplessly at Reginald's unmoving body. She put her face into her hands and shook like an earthquake threatened just the space underneath her.

My muscles pushed me off the chair and up to a standing position. I strode towards my heartbroken friend and wrapped her up in a hug, trying to keep her as functional as possible while we awaited our siblings' presence in the ICU. I kissed her head a few times and let her do as she needed to feel calm, which mainly involved digging her nails into my hands to keep her nails out of her own skin. It hurt, but she needed me, so I didn't mind.

At some point, my brothers and her brother and sister joined us. We all locked hands, Will touching Reginald’s head with his right hand, Naomi holding his left, Anu holding her left, me holding Anu’s, so on and so forth. We tried to focus all our energy into trying to lend Reginald our strength. I could tell neither of my brothers knew what they were doing, but we pushed through. 

I tried to just give them strength by imagining the confidence and power I inherited from my father flowing like a river from my own heart, through my arms and their shoulders, down into their hearts. The glowing was weird. At some point, even though I had my eyes closed, I could feel warmth surging all around me: a crazy combination of Naomi's light powers, the other Apollo kids' influence, and possibly the blessing of Ares surrounding my brothers and I.

Quite truthfully, I could feel the power surging in the room. Just Anusha’s hand felt different to me. Her energy and plagues thrummed under her skin like the vibration of a plucked guitar string. Eventually, Anu yelled for the rest of her siblings to join us, and they placed their hands on our shoulders, and the healing resumed.

Anusha and the others gasped when Reginald's eyes opened briefly before closing again. Knowing he needed his rest, we stumbled out of the room. Anusha clutched onto me with all her might, and I let her hold on as long as she needed, comforting her and trying to soothe her tears. Laughing and smiling, she burrowed her face into my chest. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the feeling of her holding onto me with such a happy expression on her face.

She fell to her knees and pressed her hands together, thanking her siblings fervently, more tears streaking down her cheeks. But she was still happy. Everyone was still happy.

It all melted away when a son of Hermes slid through the Infirmary door to inform us that Anusha's youngest and newest sibling had gone missing. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could feel Anusha's heart rate steadily increase with each moment the other teen explained the situation. We glanced at each other momentarily. Her attackers from the beach and forest. They took Izzy.

I'll spare you the details afterwards. I hate remembering the chaos and panic and heartbreak of realizing a little girl had been kidnapped from Camp Half-Blood, which is supposed to be a safe haven for Greek demigods. And Anusha probably already told you all the specifics of that situation. I'll leave it at this: I had never been so physically tired or so concerned for the safety of a stranger ever before in my life. I felt like each waking moment drained me of all energy.

The second day of the search, Reginald opened his eyes. He finally, after ten days of Anusha's self-inflicted torture and two days of rest after first opening his eyes, awoke from his slumber. I can't tell you what happened before Anusha and I sprinted forward and wrapped him up in our arms _because I don't remember._ But when I hugged him, it felt like I knew him. And I figured Anusha had the same experience. It felt like I was complete. Like we were complete. I had finally found the last piece to our puzzle. We found our Reggie, and we would be okay. He felt the same way, I think, because he held on so hard I thought he had pierced the skin of my back with just his fingers.

We laughed and joked around and tried to keep calm. But he was more serious than I anticipated. He was just as jaded as Anusha.

The experience of healing someone during a coma without rest or peace or taking care of herself and attempting to teach herself to use her powers had jaded my best friend.

Being forced to watch his family struggle against monsters, running away from home to travel across the country to reach Camp, taking on the responsibility of caring for a person half his age, suffering so many injuries, and finally waking up from a coma after almost two weeks had jaded Reginald.

Having expected Anusha would hold off on telling him the bad news, I watched in silent surprise as my best friend spilled the beans about Izzy's kidnap to Reggie, _who already knew_, somehow.

The three of us talked and talked and talked until we had it all figured out. And I was more than ready for a quest.

I wanted to go bash in the head of that Pallas who put my Anusha and poor Reginald and Izzy through this whole mess for no good reason.

As we walked out of the ICU and towards the Infirmary door, Anusha suggested I take Reginald to get some dinner and help him relax before starting some basic training for him before the quest when a bright light caught my eye. I peeked through one of the windows lining each long wall of the building, and I nearly fainted. The bright red car had returned, its horribly haughty hue unmistakeable.

Apollo had arrived.

* * *

A visit from the literal god of the sun would frighten and shock anyone, but for the members of Cabin Seven at Camp Half-Blood, it was just another monthly visit with their dad. Of course, that didn't apply to Anusha, who didn't meet him when he visited in June. Apollo, in my opinion, was one of the gods who took parenting very seriously. His experiences as a mortal had changed him drastically, and he swore by the Styx that he would do everything in his damn power to make sure his kids were happy, including spending a few days at Camp every month so he had enough time to bond with his children. This made his presence a bit more normal for the other campers, even though the idea of a god coming down from the heavens to hang out with his kids still surprised many who had never gotten such a visit from their own godly parent.

Anusha quivered and shivered like a newborn foal trying to stand. Stress enveloped her entire heart, and she laughed nervously when she realized what was going on.

Reginald asked if she was alright, only to receive a petrified and sarcastic reply from the disturbed young woman. I sighed and tried my best to encourage them to get up and start moving. Work and distractions always soothe a stressed mind, in my experience. I brought back some ambrosia and nectar for our newly conscious friend, who swallowed them down like he'd won a food-eating competition of some sort. I was mildly horrified. Reginald explained something about cooking at a restaurant in Los Angeles. Sorry to say, but I really didn't care about all that.

What was amusing, though, was when Anusha said that California rich boys are jerks, and Reginald replied with, "Ouch, pretty girl. That hurts my feelings!" in a completely monotone, unfeeling voice.

We got to our feet and exited the Infirmary, approaching the peppermint red sports car parked near the only medically-safe building in all of Camp. We stood at the inner edge of the crowd, close to the car. Apollo randomly turned and spotted Anusha while he talked to his other children, who stood a few feet away, giving them hugs and kisses in greeting. The two met eyes, and Anusha fell back into Reginald and me when Apollo began walking in her direction. I could feel her heartbeat through her arm. Oh, she wasn't just nervous. She was panicking.

Apollo dressed how I thought a young phD grad-turned-high school teacher would dress. Chill and simple, but bright and very noticeable, with a kind of confidence only a stellar phD graduate could have. The god even walked like a genius, cocky and self-assured. Kind of like Anusha during that time I watched her assist Nico during a sword-fighting lesson. Confident enough with her abilities to not care what others thought of her because she knew she exceeded them in something she enjoyed. Clearly, she got that from her father. But I feel weird about blaming a god for his child's cockiness (almost hubris), so let's talk about their first words to each other.

Reginald and I steadied our friend and kept her upright as her father approached her, their eyes locked in an unmoving bond. Apollo stopped a few feet away from her and smiled awkwardly. "Um. Uh, hello." I was taken aback by the discomfort and confusion in his tone. Apollo never seemed bothered or uncomfortable around any of his kids, but Anusha sent him off-kilter.

"Um, hey, Dad," Anusha replied with a bit more confidence. She clearly wanted to make her father feel better about talking to her, so she stood up straight without us and smiled as cutely as possible. It melted my heart, truthfully.

The god of the sun looked at the rest of the crowd, who took the hint and began strolling away so the two could have a moment. Anu stopped the crowd to comment that she had some announcements for everyone at the campfire and then verbally ceased the search for Izzy. Apollo called out to his other kids, "Guys, you can go back to the cabin or do whatever for now. I'm gonna talk to your sister for a little while and then come back for dinner, alright?" The other children of the sun god glanced at one another before nodding and striding away, some of them with elbows locked together and the younger ones running ahead of the older kids like Will and Kayla.

Apollo and Anusha exchanged a few words, talking about how weird it is to have private conversations in a big crowd like the one that had just dispersed. And then, after agreeing, the father of the plague-bringer wondered why Reginald and I were still standing there behind her. My best friend laughed awkwardly like she'd forgotten the two of us were still here. "Uh, yeah. Tlatoany is my best friend. Reggie just got out of his coma, so we decided to bring him out for dinner until Tlato realized you were here."

Reginald grabbed her shoulder and gently turned her around to face us. I promised to take care of our recently coma-free friend while she spoke with her father. I gave her a hug, needing that last bit of comfort before I didn't see her for a little while. She clung to me too before finally releasing me and pressing her cheek to mine. With a cheeky grin, Reggie ruffled her hair. "You go have fun with your dad. Neither of us are gonna disappear. I swear."

With that, the two of us hurried off to the Pavilion. "So how long have you known Anusha? You guys act like you've been friends since forever," Reggie commented.

"Only met her at the start of the summer. She was in a hand-to-hand combat class with my brother Mark and got into an argument with him. They'd grabbed some steel for themselves and were about to spar it out, but I stopped his sword before things went too far. We talked and hung out after that class, and I offered to train her so she could get ahead in her sword-fighting and physical fitness. She offered to teach me how to make friends. We were doing well, and then she got claimed. That was a mess."

Reggie's face contorted into something I'd never really seen before. I can't describe it well, but if I had no other choice, I'd say it looked like if you took the expression of a baby who ate a lemon and mixed it with the face of someone who just nearly died, that's what Reginald's face looked like. Disgust and pain mixed with pure terror and a sense of "What the fuck is going on?"

Shaking his head and making his curls fly out of their sweat-slicked state, he hummed and rubbed his hands together. "Do the gods do this a lot? Make visits to hang out with their kids?"

I shrugged. "Apollo's better about it than other gods. Lord Hermes is trying, and my dad's been making a valiant effort to love his kids better. I think Apollo, Ares, Demeter, and Nike are doing the best job of being affectionate to their kids and showing them more love. I don't know what other demigods think, but this is just my view as an outsider, kind of."

"Fair enough…then why was Anusha so scared to talk to her dad, if he's so nice and pretty good at parenting for an Olympian?"

Well, that's the can of worms no one wanted to open. "Um…it's kinda complicated."

"We've got time, right?"

"Yeah…I guess so." I jumped into the story of how Anusha learned from Will that her father wanted to avoid contacting her in person at any cost because he worried that the direct communication would set off her powers and cause a possible plague and more mass panic.

Silence fell between us. "That just sounds shitty and rude. Like, how bad of an excuse is that? If he's a god, he could stop it, right? Or he could have given her some kind of necklace or tool to control her powers. It just seems like a bunch of excuses to avoid talking to his only daughter that represents some of his darker aspects like plague and disease just because the others aren't like that and don't have her seemingly destructive powers."

I winced and slapped a hand over his mouth. "Dude! Are you insane?! Don't talk about the gods like that. That's so disrespectful, and Apollo's literally _in camp_ right now. You're basically asking for a death wish!"

He huffed and snorted, shoving my hand away. "I'm calling it like it is. That's a lousy excuse to not talk to your own daughter. And if they wanna smite me for it, I dare them to try."

I groaned. "Just talking to you is like signing myself up for execution."

The young man shrugged again and laughed. "Relax, man. The world's been falling apart since humans started deciding that they want personal belongings. There's nothing we can do to worsen that. Death is a mercy, honestly."

I had to just stop and stare at him for a moment after he said that. "That was the most depressing thing I've ever heard. Don't ever say it in front of me ever again."

"Coolio, big man."

"And don't say 'coolio' either."

"Kill-joy."

"Perhaps."

* * *

Sherman rubbed circles into his temples and leveled my siblings with a stare of exasperation and frustration. "So explain to me one last time how exactly you kids managed to scare off our own Dad during family time."

Kayda opened her mouth to explain but stopped when she noticed me and Reginald standing behind my eldest brother. "Tlato!" she squeaked while running at me for a hug.

I wrapped her up with both arms and picked her up for a second before setting her down again. She looked up at Reginald through her lashes and hung onto my arm, too shy now to look my recently-conscious friend in the eyes. "_O-Ohayo_," she stuttered softly.

Reggie, ever the friendly guy, knelt down in front of her and gave a sweet smile, one bony hand held out to her in greeting. "_Ohayo_, sweetheart. My name is Reginald. What's your name?"

She blushed bright pink and shook his hand, her own quivering helplessly. "Kayda," came my little sister's murmur.

"Kayda, what a beautiful name you have, sweetie! What does it mean?" he wondered, a bright fascination and almost paternal adoration alight in cerulean eyes.

Biting her lip with eyes hopeful and more confident, Kayda replied slowly, "It means 'little dragon' in Japanese."

Reginald beamed. "Wow! That's so cool! I bet everyone's jealous that you have such a cool name, huh?"

The little sweetheart's face suddenly shone with pride, and she pulled away from me, nodding her head emphatically. I could tell from that little interaction that Reggie was a bigger player in our trip than I originally thought. I didn't know how much he could do with just being fast, but I realized then that his speed wouldn't be our greatest tool. It would be his empathy and ability to connect to others emotionally. Anusha and I had it too, but not like Reginald, who freely and openly communicated with his emotions in a way that would almost make some of the Aphrodite campers jealous. And his way with words would sway our greatest foes and most hesitant allies.

"Mhm!" agreed the little pink-pig-tailed girl. "I mean, it's fun being named after the sky and angels and stuff, but I'm a _dragon_!" Reginald nodded and cheered, giving her a high-five and asking politely if he could sit beside her at the Ares table. She gasped and squealed, pushing at my arm to reach his and pull him behind her.

Like an asshole, the son of Hermes winked at me and plopped down beside my sister.

Sherman gaped at us the whole time. I did too after my new friend stole my sister.

"Tell me he didn't just-" Sherman choked.

I nodded weakly, still unable to comprehend how the guy who just came out of a coma made my sister open up to him in less than four minutes flat. "He did just."

"Shit."

"Yeah, Sherman. I know." Left with no other choice, I sat beside Sherman and Delilah, grumbling to myself at the indignity of losing my favorite sister to my newest friend.

Sherman coughed. "So uh, what's your name, kid?" Reggie smiled charmingly.

"Reginald leBlanc, sir. A pleasure to meet all of you. The Ares family, right? Wonderful to be here."

Delilah grinned, tossing her silky scarlet and mauve locks over her shoulder. "Tlato, I don't know if you swing that way, but this one is good too. Either you take him or I will."

I rolled my eyes. "Have you nothing better to do than try to match me up with people?"

"No, not really," she retorted with a loud snort.

"I hate all of you."

Wincing at the impact between my temple and what felt like a bread roll, I looked around the table and found Reggie glowering at me. "We do not say that to our family, Mr. Castillo."

"But-"

"No buts!"

Everyone at the table stopped to stare at him. We all paused to look at one another before grinning and laughing. Mark snorted through his milk, which ended up streaming out of his nose and causing a bigger uproar among the rest of us. Reggie just sat there staring at us like we'd lost our minds.

"Why are we laughing?"

James chuckled and wiped away a stray tear. "Nothing, man. Just that the two people from the cabins that never get along with us have sat with us for a meal and got along splendidly. From the Apollo cabin, Anusha absolutely killed it first by making Tlatoany eat with us while interacting with us, and you've not been here with us five minutes, and already you're weaseling your way into our family like how other Hermes kids weasel their way into everything and everywhere else. It's just kinda nice to have people like you two that we can trust and hang out with without feeling judged for our more brash ways."

Reggie blushed bright red and scratched lightly at the back of his neck with his head down as a means of not having to look at us directly. "What? It's nothing. I just like meeting and getting to know new people. That's all."

With a sentimental sigh, Sherman shook his head. "Nah, kid. You two are different. You choose to be here and sit with us. You consciously made those decisions. We respect that. Anyone who willingly agrees to sit and take a meal with us is crazy enough to earn our kudos."

"That's so sweet. You guys are the best!" my insanely fast new friend exclaimed with both arms up in the air. He laughed when Kayda snuck under his arm and leaned against his chest. "And Kayda's the best of the best!" She grinned smugly at me, resting her little head on his shoulder, lips curled up into a smirk while almond eyes gazed into my soul. Even her adorable nose scrunched up cockily with her smirk when I huffed at her.

I stared at Reginald. "Do you do this often?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Do what?"

"Steal other people's siblings."

He laughed. "Not always, but sometimes. This case was easy. My ex-girlfriend from fourth grade had the cutest baby sibling. I tried to steal him too, but in a more literal sense. Ended badly for me. A breakup and a ban from their house. And getting grounded with no TV time for a month at my house."

I snickered at the story, and so did the others. I was starting to like this guy. He was nice, got along with my insane siblings and had charm to spare. And the fact that he had such beautiful eyes and the silliest curly hair didn't hurt either. What can I say? I'm a fool for anyone with curls and nice eyes.

As soon as we retrieved our meals and began eating, I spotted Chiron across the Pavilion speaking to a few of the counselors. Reggie and I locked gazes. If we wanted a quest, we had to start with the Activities Director. This was the perfect opportunity.

We stood in unison and approached the ancient teacher, our hearts thundering and our hands clenched into fists. We were ready, but also not really.

"Chiron?" I probed. The centaur turned and smiled down at me, eyes brilliant with pride and excitement.

"Tlatoany, my boy! I'm glad to see you finally after so long." His gaze shifted to Reggie's face and slacked, the muscles in his neck stiff and tense. It seemed like he hadn't expected to see him today. Almost as if Chiron thought Reginald wasn't supposed to be conscious at that moment. "The son of Hermes. Reginald leBlanc?"

My slightly-taller companion laughed hesitantly. "In the flesh! Nice to meet you, sir."

Chiron sighed and smiled tiredly. "I'm sorry for the cold hello, Reginald. I simply hadn't anticipated your presence. Your coma…?"

He beamed. "Oh, Anusha and Tlatoany and the other Ares and Apollo kids fixed it. Brought me back to life, basically. Miracle workers, the lot of 'em. And the other Ares kids besides the two brothers of Tlatoany that showed up to help me, they're awesome company after waking up from a coma. Not that mine was super long, but that's all due to the efforts of Anu. I literally owe her my life."

Chiron smiled awkwardly while nodding his head. "Er, yes. That's wonderful. So what exactly do you two wish to discuss? I noticed you both seemed very intent on something while approaching me."

A pause of discomfort and preparation. We needed that break before we said anything. We burst out simultaneously, "We need a quest! That's how we can save Izzy!"

His eyebrows shot up as his mouth dropped down. "Absolutely not!"

We frowned. "Why not?" I protested.

"Reginald just came out of a coma, Anusha is still learning to deal with your powers, and you've lost your mother. And there hasn't been any prophecy related to you three recently. How can you expect me to approve a quest so soon?!"

I groaned. "Chiron, Reginald recovered way faster than anyone expected. If he's strong enough to run several hundreds on a dislocated hip, he's strong enough to go on a quest now after he's healed." This was so unfair. We couldn't go on a quest after all this time and preparation at fourteen-years-old, but Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood could go on quests as twelve-year-olds with barely any preparation.

Reginald nodded vigorously, crossing his arms. "Yeah! Anusha's using her powers to heal, which is further than other plague-bringers got, from what I can guess. She's gotten better after her exile than any of you guys expected. Even Tlato's getting through his grief. He's a stronger man than anyone can assume. If he's willing to go on a quest to save Izzy during this hard time, maybe it means he's ready for it."

Chiron scowled and shook his head adamantly. "No way. I refuse to send you children out of Camp under these circumstances, no matter your current state."

I crumbled and rubbed my face as my elderly teacher rubbed his temples, still in disbelief that we requested a quest so soon, though we ourselves didn't believe it to be too soon. My head whipped back to take a glance around and search for friendly faces to help us convince Chiron we were ready when I spotted a flash of black, brown, and blue. Unsure of what my eyes caught, my head slowly turned again, and Anusha came into view, stalking towards us like a panther on a leisurely swing through the jungle. Her blue skinny jeans seemed slightly damp from a walk along the beach and her black tank top blended into the color of her long wavy hair. The white of her sneakers and the gold of her skin were the only contrast to all the darkness of her clothing.

She smiled and continued on her march forward, grasping mine and Reggie's shoulders with one hand on each of us. "At ease, boys. I'm here. What's going on?" After a pause, our centaur teacher explained the situation to her, frustration seeping through every crevice in his face.

At that, our friend put on her 'badass bitch' face and made her argument to Chiron, who accepted at long last and nodded his head. He gave us a little condition that we had to consult Rachel Dare first, but the three of us smiled and cheered and hurried to our own tables. Reginald rushed away in hopes of finally meeting and getting to know his siblings, while I plopped down next to Arthur and pushed him lightly to make some space for myself on the bench.

"Where's Reginald?" Kayda whined, lips curled into a pout.

"He has to spend time with his blood family too, honey. He's not ours. Besides, he's not spoken to them yet, and he needs some time to bond. Let him be. You can hang out with him more in the morning, okay?" was my pathetic attempt at trying to soothe my sister. Her mother named her appropriately, considering her fiery determination and stubbornness in wanting to stick with people at all times of day upon deciding she likes them.

She grumbled and crossed her arms, pout still braced tightly to her cheeks. With a rough shake of her head, obsidian eyes glared into Sherman's soul. "Reggie's ours. I want him at our table by breakfast time tomorrow morning."

Sherman, unsure of how else to react and unable to refuse her, simply nodded in resignation with a brief glance towards me. "You heard the girl."

I groaned. "Sweetie, he's not-"

Kayda's gaze flicked to me, and I nearly fell back. "I didn't stutter, as far as I could tell." Everyone else laughed, but only Sherman and I felt fear coursing throughout our skulls.

We glanced at one another and chose to just silently eat our dinner rather than question the event. Life was too goddamn weird already. And the cutest campers are usually the most dangerous. Kayda was proof of that.

Anusha stood on the same chair she stood on the previous day when calling for a search party to find Izzy and thanked everyone for helping her with the search. She welcomed Reginald, who stood up and waved to everybody, taking a bow and making people laugh at his silly introduction. Finally, she explained the plan for the quest and thanked everyone for their help again before sitting down.

Suddenly, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the Oracle of Delphi, entered the Pavilion and trudged towards Anusha, who sat with her siblings and father and ate her meal quietly. The green smoke slipped from Rachel's lips as Anu rose to her feet and approached the glowy-eyed human adult. She said something I could barely hear and Rachel spoke another prophecy, which made my nausea spike. Right after it ended, she collapsed into the arms of Anusha and Apollo. Anusha, Reginald, and I looked at one another nervously, knowing that this just decreased the number of days we had to prepare. We needed to go on the quest ASAP, but the only issue was that I had no clue what the new prophecy meant.

You know what? For the sake of convenience and not being fucking boring as shit and repeating the same thing Anusha's already told you, I'll skip to the meeting between all the counselors, Chiron, Anusha, Reginald, the guy who tried to kill me, and Anu's new brother Maximus Harper.

I honestly did not expect an assassination attempt that morning when I was eating breakfast with Reggie and the other Hermes kids, but that's basically what happened. Frankly, the only reason I didn't react to the whole mess until the meeting is that Anusha's wrathful actions sent fear surging through my blood. I had never seen her in such a rage, and to watch her like that, to watch her take out her lividity on that guy, it petrified me. I didn't know how to react or what to do, so I sat and stared like an idiot instead of stopping her with my words if not with my hands.

Plague-bringer is not a name that strikes fear into the hearts of people. Not like Earth-Shaker or Killer of Men or Bearer of the Golden Sword. It's just a simple title. Someone who brings plagues. But the association of a plague-bringer to their ability is what frightens people.

Anusha frightened me before that incident once. The day she and I fought, the day our friendship splintered, the way she walked towards me and whispered at me left me wishing I'd prayed to my dad before speaking to her. I was in fucking tears. Can you understand that? The terror of your best friend's wrath invoking itself in you without any action on her part except just walking and whispering?

That first time, I only worried about how to hold her off if she attacked me. The second time I feared her, after that attempt on my life, I couldn't even worry. I was in too much shock. Anusha was never unkind. She never treated people with malice or hatred. At most, it was annoyance or anger at their unkind actions towards her friends or family. But this was the first time I saw her really hate anyone. I swear, I had mentally prepared myself to see a dead body in the Arena for the first time in my life. I didn't know how anyone would stop her. Apollo's presence saved the day, and only then did I realize that I wasn't friends with a normal teenage girl with weird powers. I was friends with a grenade that took its own pin out and that could choose its own detonation time.

Yeah, I know that was really dramatic and a bit too braggy about my best friend's powers, but you need to understand how much she scared me. (It doesn't end, by the way. Whenever I see her get angry these days, there's always a tinge of fright that sits in my heart until she smiles at me again with that Colgate-commercial smile.)

I felt extremely relieved when Apollo stood in that rec room with us, a protective guardian holding back his own daughter's abilities. I didn't think I could stay still and calm if she got pissed at the attacker again.

The counselors had the guy sat in a chair opposite the ping pong table around which everyone congregated. Anusha pulled up a spare chair for herself and sat down at his ten o'clock. She unsheathed one of her daggers and cleaned off the sharp tip, wiping the dirt and dust off on her pant leg before gently bringing it up to his chin, murmuring softly as he struggled against the bindings keeping his hands behind the chair and his legs against the chair's legs. "Slow down, sweetheart. If you want to walk out of here completely functional and not at all broken in any way whatsoever, you're gonna tell us everything we need and want to know."

He sneered and spat on the ground beside her feet. "Fuck you."

She sighed nonchalantly, holding her dagger out to me after removing all the disease from it. I stepped forward and took it gingerly into both hands. Her posture loosened, like a cat shifting from its hunting position to its lounging position.

She rolled her eyes and smiled, the gentleness of it not reaching the gold-speckled chocolate of her eyes. Velvet ice slipped from her lips, then. "Well, no. I don't think so. I'm only fourteen. But anyway, let me convince you in another way, hm?" Slowly, the plague-bringer rested a hand on his face and dug her fingers in, eyes steely and cruel. The teen began to scream, the pain audible in the wails. Like a horror movie actor.

Anusha slowly pulled back her hand and placed it gently back into her lap. "Now, you see? I can make every one of your nerves feel on fire. Okay? So I suggest you spill it all and save yourself the physical pain and mental suffering."

Apollo, ever the perfect, growled and rubbed his face. "Anusha, what happened to mercy?" She sighed.

"I know, Dad. And I'm sorry. But…"

"But nothing. Enough from you. Tlatoany, you go ask."

I sputtered. "Um, excuse me, sir?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes, boy?"

"I, uh…why me?"

He smiled and sighed. "My daughter is too angry to do this effectively. She's not let go of her hatred for this kid. You're smart. Probably the smartest kid in the room besides Malcolm, here. You take a shot at it."

Flushing red from shock and embarrassment and excitement, I approached Anusha to return her knife. She took it carefully and tucked it back into her belt while standing. I took her place as she took mine. The guy scowled at me. "What, gonna fucking stab me now, jackass?"

I shook my head. "I have no such intentions. Believe me. I don't care for unnecessary violence or hatred towards other demigods. I think you're a victim of the system that created you. This person you work for has brainwashed you somehow into thinking that Anusha and I and Reginald are your enemies. I don't know why, but they have. And I don't think you're a bad person, but you're doing bad things. You're hurting those who understand you better than the gods could and better than normal humans could. We want to help you, but you need to give us a chance. That's the least you could do after you tried to murder me."

He grunted and looked away. "Not gonna talk."

I sighed. "Why?"

He snorted. "What are you, stupid? What the fuck do you mean? If I tell you shit, you're gonna ruin our mission, and that's more important than my life."

"Stop right there. Humans do what they do because they want to live. They want to survive. So since when is someone else's mission more important than your own life? That implies that you value your life less because that's how you think you'll survive. By making the mission come first. So the person leading you is hurting you because they're making you think that if you give more importance to the mission than to yourself, you'll have a better chance of survival. It's abuse. So why are you helping someone who abuses you?"

The guy stared at me like I was an idiot. "Abuse?! Are you dumb?! Ash is a hero. A HERO! She fights to make sure demigods get everything and anything they could want and keeps Olympus accountable."

"How?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"How? How does she hold them accountable? Does she talk to the gods?"

"No way. She hates them."

"So how can she hold them accountable if she doesn't speak to them? Accountability only works if communications exist. And she has no communication with the gods. The only conclusion is that she's not holding them accountable. If she's not, who is? Us. Camp Half-Blood. We're holding them accountable."

The guy frowned. "What?"

I sighed. My hands clasped together, I leaned forward to rest my elbows against my knees. I looked the dude right in the eyes. "Man, I get it. This is your cause. Your calling. But this Ash has been lying to you. She's not being truthful. But we are. We just want the truth. We don't care what you do after you get out of here, unless you make plans to attack us again. But we just want to protect our own. We won't mess with you if you don't mess with us."

The teen looked around at us. Us. The demigods he so dearly hated. And he gave me those eyes. Those eyes I recognized. You know, it's easy to gain camaraderie with people. You just have to open your heart and know how to enunciate your connections. Anu is fantastic at that. Reginald too, but in a slightly different, more emotionally-charged way.

I knew what this guy felt. I knew exactly what he felt. It's the shock that the people you think you hate aren't actually your enemies. It's the fear that you're losing your old self in favor of terrifying new truths. You'll know my story related to this soon enough.

He gave me a weak look, and I gazed at Anusha over my shoulder. "Cut him free, Anu."

She growled and huffed but did as I asked without question, slicing through the rope with her knives like it was yarn and not sugarcane-fiber-infused nylon. She shot a death glare at the guy but calmed down and looked away at my pointed stare.

The brunette looked up at me and reached a hand out. I grabbed him into a hug, and I could hear Anusha's smile in her voice. "Only you would hug the man who tried to kill you, Tlato. Goddamn, I love that."

I couldn't help but grin back at her as I soothed the guy who'd begun crying and sobbing, putting his face in both hands. "There we go, brother. There we go. We've got it. We've figured it out."

I looked at Reginald, who flashed his pearly whites and bounced over to me and my new crying companion. "I'll take it from here."

Nodding, I released the teen to my new friend, who sat in my chair and held the guy's hands gently, speaking in the sweet tones of the wind during a warm summer night and the watery lull of the beach's waves and the slow murmurs of a mother trying to care for her sick son.

Anusha looked at me peculiarly, her lips pursed as her eyes remained wide and eyebrows remained high. She then smiled and clapped a hand onto my shoulder. "You're a weird one alright, Castillo. A weird one, indeed."


	14. Interruption

"_You're_ my mom?"

The man with the bright hazel eyes and dark hair smiled. I had to look away to not get blinded by his pearly whites. "Sorry, kiddo. Force of habit. God of light and all. But yes. Hello." He brushed a hand through his thick black curls and rubbed the back of his neck, the deep brown tan of his skin almost glowing in the late afternoon or early evening light.

I pursed my lips and raised an eyebrow. "Last I checked, men don't have uteruses and can't bear children, unless they're pre-op transgender men or transmasculine non-binary people. Not that I'm making any assumptions, but…"

He laughed brightly and nodded. "No worries. I understand what you mean. But, if you couldn't tell, I _am _a god. I can change my form however I please. I can switch my biological sex at the snap of my fingers. But, I also don't have the same rules as humans. Olympian and godly biology follows different laws."

It seemed too weird. Too impossible. Too scary. Sure, my real dad explained all this godly stuff to me as a kid, but he never told me I was born to him and another man!

The impossibly handsome man gave a soft sigh and reached a hand out to lay it on my cheek gently. His eyes got real weak at that moment. "Sweetie, I know you're nervous about all these changes you're dealing with, but you will be okay. You will. I promise. Your older siblings and friends will help you along the way."

Even though I never met him before that moment, he felt so familiar. He felt like coming home. I leaned into his touch slightly and looked down. "Papá said that someone was waiting for me here. Someone I had to meet before I could tell people about my powers."

His eyes got softer, and he pulled his hand away. My heart thumped loudly in my chest. Had I said something wrong? Was he mad at me? Was he upset? He turned his face away so I couldn't peek, but I knew from the quiver in his shoulders that he was crying. I was terrified.

The gods were the last people I expected to cry. Humans cry a lot. That's our thing. Water comes out of our eyes and through our noses when we get too upset by something. But gods? They're all-powerful, all-knowing. Why would they have any reason to cry? I tried to reach a hand out to calm him, but Apollo relaxed before I could cross the halfway point of the distance between us.

He gave a sad chuckle, shoulders slumped dejectedly. "Your father told you the truth, Val. You do have to meet someone before you tell anyone of your abilities. This person is kind of like your predecessor in a way, though she isn't an ancestor belonging to your father's bloodline."

I frowned. "So why does me meeting this person make you wanna cry?"

He sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Oh, sweetie. She was very special to me. Very very special. You'll find out why soon enough."

That response perplexed me, but I didn't stay hung up on that. "So when can I meet this lady?"

Apollo grinned and laughed. "Gotta wait until sunset, sweetheart. Only then will she reveal herself to you. Sorry."

"It's fine! Well, if that's it, I'm gonna go find my friends. You'll be here for the next few days, right?" When he nodded, I grinned, hugged him, and promised to talk again soon. I had a feeling he probably wanted me to stay and talk, but seeing him cry unnerved me more than I would admit to him.

So, I hurried along to the Big House, where Chiron stood on the porch with my best friends, awaiting my arrival. Carla beamed at me from twenty feet away, waving her arms wildly. We hugged tightly, and Zelle rolled her eyes while wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Took ya long enough, slowpoke. Come on, we got here two days late as it is. Let's get this meeting over with. I think I feel a hole forming in the lining of my stomach. I haven't eaten since last night!"

Giggling, Carla and I followed Chiron into his office, elbows looped together while Zelle trailed behind us, a distasteful expression staining her features.

The meeting consisted of the old centaur asking us a bunch of questions about ourselves and our families and childhoods. He handed us some gaudy orange T-shirts and had us go visit the Hephaestus cabin to pick up some weapons. What a weird summer camp!

Zelle's older brother Jimmy invited us into Cabin Nine for some candy and apple juice before helping us find a tool of destruction. To my severe misfortune, I was the only one who couldn't find anything I liked. Jimmy promised I'd figure something out eventually and polished up Zelle's twin swords and Carla's massive axe. I just waited outside on the bench across from the cabin as my friends got their weapons fixed up.

Eventually, they stepped out, blades shiny and glinting in the sun. The three of us huddled together on our way to the Pavilion. A meal was long overdue. Zelle joined her siblings at the pure white Athena table where a few kids were doing some kind of homework while Carla plopped down at Lord Dionysus' grape purple and forest green table with some of those goat men. I sat alone at the Apollo table since my siblings were off doing who knows what. My dad returned, relaxing on the bench across from me. We grinned at one another and laughed softly.

"Yeah, I don't usually like crying in front of my kids, but this was a special exception. Get yourself a grilled cheese or something light. I'll take you to see her." My eyes shot wide open, and Dad conjured up a grilled cheese sandwich with avocado and buffalo sauce for me while I stared at him. (Don't judge, okay?! It was my comfort food all throughout elementary school and actually tastes really good.)

I ate in silence as he sipped on his iced pumpkin spice latte and checked his phone. I guess even the gods have to modernize at some point.

When I finished eating, Dad got up and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He smiled and kissed the top of my head. I couldn't help but curl up into his side. I also didn't know when he went from Apollo to 'Dad'.

We trekked through Camp to reach the huge statues towering over the eastern valleys just outside the borders. I stopped and coughed. "Sorry, why are we going over there? I thought those statues were forbidden territory for new campers!" I exclaimed. Dad just laughed.

"Not for you, they aren't." He pulled me along behind him and had me climb up the hill. The fifteen-foot polished and painted marble figures stood atop the hill beside what used to be Camp Half-Blood's old main entrance. Of course, statues of all the greats that trained at Camp littered the land, covering the map we received at orientation like polka-dots. But people really disliked these particular statues. In fact, the first thing a tour guide told one of my new friends and her group this morning was that we were never to ever come near the hill itself, much less the carvings.

But also, no one ever came up here because of rumors that went around. Apparently, some kid tried to sneak onto the hill, and a huge wave of sulfur gas and some other poisonous deadly stuff washed over him, and he had to be treated in the infirmary for a week straight. At last, Dad himself had to come down and heal the kid. Since then, no one ever went near this hill.

And now, the two of us were going up that very hill that nearly killed a guy, just to meet some ancestor of mine. Or, not ancestor. Apollo said she wasn't in my father's bloodline.

We walked around the three figures and looked up at them. I had to shield my eyes to not blind myself from the reflection of the sunlight. "Um, who are these people, Dad?" The sun god winked.

"You tell me."

I took a closer look at each of their faces, still keeping one hand over my eyes to provide some shade.

The woman in the middle had deep golden brown skin and very short and somewhat curly blonde hair. She held two knives in her hands and wore a necklace with a beautiful, elaborate coin pendant of a sun in the center. Her face had very sharp lines but very rounded curves. It seemed oddly proud, in a way that you wouldn't expect a statue to express. She smirked more than smiled, the arrogance of her posture and expression revealing a lot of pride in herself and her abilities. She was clearly the leader within the trio of tall beings, possibly the strongest.

The man on the left was taller than her, but not by much, and also had short hair, but it was far curlier and light brown rather than blond. He held a sword in one hand and a compass in the other, smiling softly at the world below with features as pale as the sands at the beach. His shoes bore wings on the sides, and his facial angles were all soft and smooth, very warm and comforting compared to the girl's. He seemed much more delicate than her, oddly enough. His entire body language appeared gentle, like that of a mother or grandparent.

The man on the right was the opposite of the man on the left. He was massive, almost towering over the other two. One of his biceps was probably the size of the girl's head. He held a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. He smiled dimly, as if in real life, he didn't care much for facial expression, but he knew his companions would want him to look happy for the sake of appearances. He seemed very regal, with straight black locks cascading down his shoulders and back, the hard lines of his dark brown jaws and cheekbones offering a strength to his body language. Even the broad, smooth width of his nose implied some kind of royal bloodline.

I looked closely at the girl's face, and the realization hit me like a goddamn sixteen-wheeler.

"That's _her_, isn't it?! Anusha Rajachari? The first of your plague-bringers in like a millennium or something?" Apollo laughed with amusement at my excitement. I gaped at him. "You never told me she was involved in this!"

Dad smiled and pulled me into his side. "A good surprise is never revealed before its time. Anyways, yes. Anusha Rajachari." His expression sweetened again, warmer now instead of sad like before.

"My first plague-bringer in about seven hundred years. She had so many issues stemming from her powers. All of her life's struggling happened because of her abilities. But she never let that make her bitter or cruel or hurtful. She used that pain to learn and become loving. Before she died, she wrote her life's story into a diary. She told me that her last wish was for me to preserve that book using magic so it would last forever and never get old or wrinkly or damaged. I kept that promise. She also had some technologies installed into her statue so she could speak to you as a hologram of sorts. One of the Hephaestus kids' idea. She'll tell you everything you need to know in that diary."

I bit my lip and gazed up at the woman. The woman who did this all before me. Who struggled like I did, but with no guidance, no one to help her. Dad could only offer so much help. And her friends didn't know what it was like to be a plague-bringer. My human father guided me through all of my struggles since I was young. I was never without help. But Anusha? She did it all on her own. How do I ever match up to that? How could I ever hope to be on par with her?

Anusha was no Percy Jackson. She was not the greatest hero of all time. She had flaws. She was imperfect. At times, she was cruel and harsh and almost a bitch. Her fatal flaw was pride, and it nearly killed her and the people she loved so many times. She cried and sobbed and broke down. She loved and fought and screamed and struggled. She was imperfect in every sense. But every imperfection ended up making her better. Every struggle made her stronger. Every single issue she faced turned her into a better hero than anyone could hope to be. All the while struggling against people who hated her for her skin and her internal identity and her way of love and her body.

Apollo put a hand on my shoulder and smiled. "She'll tell you this, but understand me, sweetie. Anusha will always love you more than I ever can. Always. She knows you. She understands you. She lived like you. She struggled like you. She shares that bond of name with you. Plague-bringer. You two are of the same type. She will always love you no matter what happens because she knows exactly what you've gone through. Don't worry about living up to her expectations. All she wants is for you to try, and that's it. She'll adore you for simply trying."

And with that, he stepped back. "Put your hands on the statue's base. Do not be afraid. Let it happen as it happens. All will be well." I did as he asked, resting my open hands on the area of the base right in front of Anusha's feet, and brilliant neon green and sickly purple light erupted around me and the figure.

Two panels of painted metal slid open beside my hands, revealing open vents of some sort. The vents released this horrible foul-smelling gas or smoke that surrounded me entirely. A calm and even female voice spoke from within the vents, as if someone lived in the base of the statue. "_Please state your full name, your title, and my full name."_

I paused. What the hell? I turned back to look at my dad, who only gave me two thumbs and a supportive smile. Um, okay. I guess I could try responding.

"Uh, hi? My name is Val Espinoza." I waited for some kind of reaction, but the smoke stayed there, not moving. Okay, next answer. "My title is child of Apollo-" Out of nowhere, the gas turned a brighter, more menacing green, like the color of poison in cartoons or like the eyes of the Oracle of Delphi. I stepped back in shock to avoid the smoke. "Okay, sorry! Um, I guess, uh, my title is plague-bringer." The color softened back into the previous neon green. "Your name is Anusha Rajachari."

The green gas turned a soft, fancy purple, like the kind you'd see a king or queen wear to a ball. The statue's base hissed, and more metallic panels opened, at the front this time. A wooden jewelry case of sorts slid forward on a set of metal tracks and stopped in front of me. "Please place your dominant hand on the top of the case," came Anusha's voice again. I only knew it was hers because my dad had started crying when the automated lady started speaking.

I put my open left palm atop the box, resting it on the thorn-crowned setting sun at the center of the top. Light flourished from the sun under my palm and expanded as formless, disorganized lines that covered the wooden container. I pulled my hand back when two panels atop the box began to open, the pieces sliding apart from one another.

My hands shook as I approached the object. I peeked inside to find a dark brown leather-bound book, with the words "The Tails of Us" written in gold on the cover in smooth, deliberate lines.

Dad smiled through his tears and nodded, motioning with his hand. "Go ahead. I'll leave you to her." He wiped at his face and strolled down the hill in silence, though I could still see his shoulders shaking.

The box closed up and returned into the statue while the smoke returned to the vents. Any and all open metal panels shut quickly, but the light around the huge marble figure of my half-sister remained bright and unrelenting. Probably just like she was in real life.

I looked down at the book and sighed. "Come on, sis. Dad says you love me more than he does. Prove it."


	15. Zeal & Marriage Ruin the Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warning: there are graphic descriptions of blood and self-inflicted head injuries
> 
> DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER IF BLOOD, HEAD INJURIES, AND SELF-INFLICTED HARM TRIGGER YOU IN ANY WAY AT ALL WHATSOEVER.
> 
> THIS HAS BEEN A WARNING. DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT LIKE OR FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT THE ABOVE TOPICS. 
> 
> IF YOU READ THE CHAPTER ANYWAYS AFTER THIS WARNING, IT'S YOUR DECISION, AND I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY

Reginald really impressed me that day. I knew he was the more emotional among my trio, but I didn't know he was this in tune with other people's emotions too. Every time Anusha sighed or huffed or grumbled in a certain way, he would slowly turn his head and stare at her with his disappointed 'I know what you're thinking, and it's wrong, so you better stop and be nice to this guy' face. Her jaws and shoulders were tense, arms crossed over her chest as dark brown eyes narrowed at the young man who'd nearly killed me that day. But when Reginald gave her that look, her eyebrows scrunched, and her head tilted down, lips pursed tightly and eyes focused on the ground.

With unflinching but gentle blue gaze and steady ivory hands, Reggie almost single-handedly got the guy to tell us everything. I felt bad for the dude, really.

Imagine losing your home and family to a fire and having to live on the streets. And at the first sign of true kindness from a stranger after years spent suffering alone and being seen as lesser, you find a home with these odd people just like you. You live with them and learn with them and become a warrior and find your true purpose. You spend years cultivating your skills and becoming better and stronger and finally begin to enter the field as a proper agent of justice. And just when you think you'll reach your goals, you end up being foiled by a girl who attacks you like a beast for hurting her apparent friend. Your boyfriend dumps you for cruelty you didn't know was cruel. You find out later that your entire mission and family and home is abusive and harmful and seeks only to use you as a means of destroying the only group that could defeat them. Those same people, your former enemy, also now treat you with love and respect and try to ask you to help them save themselves, and now you're being forced to confront everything that you lived through for the past seven years.

In other things, Anusha also surprised me. But in a bad way.

Every time I thought she was making some sort of progress with being nicer to this guy, either making an understanding face at a trauma he experienced or a comment he got from rude passersby when he was homeless, she ended up forgetting that decency and judging him for his actions in the army the very next moment after her temporary show of kindness and compassion.

There wasn't a moment I didn't feel super exasperated and irritated with her. I knew the other counselors felt the same. Only Reggie sympathized with her and was able to cool her down enough to at least keep her mouth shut for the rest of the time. But at some point, it was too much for her. A lot of arguing had taken place, and her own patience wore thin. The two of us nearly fought with fists, but Apollo said something very distinct and harsh in Malayalam, which I didn't understand, and with pain in her eyes and rage on her lips, Anusha stormed out, leaving the wood of the flooring rotting away with each angry step. The door slammed harshly at her exit. The last look she gave me before she turned away, I saw her heartbreak. I couldn't understand her pain, but I knew it made her irrationally angry.

So maybe this is what my dad meant when he said Anu wasn't super connected to her emotions.

Okay, yeah, he was right about her.

While Reginald was sitting with the young man and writing out all of his problems to help him figure things out, the counselors left to have their bathroom and snack breaks. Apollo slouched in a chair at the corner of the room behind a small desk. Unsure of where to go, I sat beside him. I didn't want to disturb Reggie as he worked with the guy, and I definitely felt weird about leaving my friend alone in the room, so I stayed.

Apollo and I said nothing to one another, but he looked at me and said something I didn't expect. "I'm glad my daughter has you, Tlatoany Castillo."

My mouth stayed shut, but I turned to properly watch him. He smiled and laughed when I responded with great eloquence and intelligence, expressing my confusion at his words and my gratitude for his odd compliment. "Uhhh…"

"I'm serious. You've been something of a moral compass for her. Anusha's seen too much for her age. And the fact that she inherited some of my more dangerous and almost negative aspects and traits is quite concerning to me. She has a hard time expressing her anger and fear and sadness and pain. It's not normal to her since she learned to hide it from a young age. It protected her mind and heart, I think. But having you around, it's helpful. She learns right and wrong and good and bad and mercy. Not that she's a bad person. She's lovely and wonderful and perfect and my baby. But she's so stuck inside her own head that she can't see when her actions or behavior are wrong. Hopefully it's not the same case with young Reginald. I believe he can help her work through those feelings of spite and anger and all that."

I paused and looked at him. "You really have a lot to say about her, huh?"

He nodded. "She's my baby. Always was, always is. Always will be, too. But I don't know her. I don't know who she is. I haven't watched her grow up, and I can only ever speculate. I would never betray her trust or sense of privacy by using my abilities to search into her past. She wouldn't be able to handle that from me. I have so many thoughts, but no one to express them to."

Then, I said something very stupid that no one should ever say to a god. "I could hear them out, if you'd like. I'm no child of Aphrodite, and I'm not Reginald, but I can listen and give objective comments on some things. I know I'm just a human, and you'd probably have an easier time talking to Lady Aphrodite herself or your mom or your sister, but I am her best friend, and I can offer an ear if you need someone to talk to. Everyone needs an ear once in a while."

Apollo chuckled. "That's a very kind thing to offer, Tlatoany. Thank you. As of now, I won't burden you with all that talk. But if push comes to shove, and I have no one else, I'll be sure to come to you."

"No problem, sir. Just wanted to be helpful."

"Hmm. Thank you, child. Tell me, has your father said anything about Anusha? Anything that you think _you_ need help with?"

I sighed. "You read it on my face, didn't you?"

He winked. "And in your heart. What's on your mind, kiddo?"

I looked down and bit my lip. "Dad said Anusha's the kind of demigod most of the Olympians worry about, but only as far as it involves their kids. They can save themselves, but the other demigods here in CHB can't. And I know now that he's right. She is dangerous. But…I don't like saying that about her."

Lord Apollo's gaze grew distant and soft, smiling weakly. "I once said the same about her mother. She was born to a clan of warriors and kings and sagely fighters. All so wise and powerful. She's the same."

"So Anu got that from her mom?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Anu?"

My heart thundered, and a nervous laugh squeaked out of my throat. "Um…"

The god of the sun smiled. "It's fine, Tlatoany. But yes. She got that from her mom. Probably, it's a trait of most females from her family and country. The implication isn't that Indian women are inherently terrifying. It's that they have this willingness and determination and bull-like stubbornness that comes from how they're raised and treated in their culture and nation."

When I gave him a confused expression in reply to his previous statements, Apollo elaborated on his words. "Okay, well. They're told to be meek and soft, and the anger from that forced behavior grows into pink iron wills and flowery sharp tongues. Anusha's mother was an actress in her home city. Participated in the theater productions and such. I visited once for one of the festivals in her home. I heard that the singers there were some of the best in the world. I wanted to see and hear them. Oh, that woman enchanted me. Some of the actresses were prettier and had better talent, but the effort and emotion she put into her performance kept my eyes on her even after the event ended." I kind of melted at his words. Anyone could have heard the pure adoration and almost artistic reverence in his voice.

"I was enamored with her. Never once did my mind forget her while I was there. And as I got to know her, I saw the fire in her heart that I know burns in my daughter's veins now. Anusha is more dangerous for her stubbornness and anger and vengeful streak than she is for her powers, I think. But I'm biased, as her father."

I said nothing, too lost in the story to think about what to say to the god now spewing the story of how he met his plague-bringer's mother. He continued. "But there's a reason I asked you that. I want to give you and Reginald something that will help you protect yourselves from her. Her powers, though I think of them as not super concerning to you two because you can defeat her in combat, are a point of contention with the others on Olympus. When it's time, I'll give you this gift that will disable or soothe her powers and keep them contained. She may feel angry because I went behind her back, but tell her what we discussed in this conversation, Tlatoany. She'll understand."

"Yes, sir." With one last look at me, the twin of Artemis stood and approached the young possibly-former assassin, who hissed and screamed and scrambled away, hiding against the wall to avoid any godly contact. Reginald rushed to his side and tried his best to soothe him through the tears and shouts, keeping a cool face and gentle voice the entire time. "Okay, okay, it's okay, buddy. It's alright. He's not his daughter. She's mad at you. He kept her from hurting you, okay? It's gonna be alright. Just relax."

The other counselors reentered the room, now looking more refreshed and put together after having gotten some rest. Will looked at me carefully, leaning close to whisper in my ear, "As soon as this meeting is over, go find her. Immediately." Nodding, I moved back to my seat and tried to keep a normal expression. Too many people were telling me too many things today. I'm not much of a talker, and if I do speak in excess, it's only about things I know for sure. I don't do well with gossip or weird emotional talks. And I certainly didn't do well with hiding things from my best friend, not after that first experience. I wanted her to trust me, and this was not the right way to regain her trust.

Apollo soon sat down again and listened intently, writing out a few notes for himself on a pad of paper with fancy golden designs as the border of each page.

The young man was much calmer now, more put together. He looked me in the eyes when everyone stood to leave and talk amongst themselves after the meeting. "I'm sorry. Tell that to the girl too. It wasn't personal. I really was just doing my job. I'm sorry." I smiled as best as I could and nodded, walking back to give him a hug. Maximus, Anusha's new brother, rushed inside and threw himself onto the other boy, who laughed through the tears and spun him around.

Well, at least someone had a happy ending.

Once again, my best friend forced me to search for her, almost in vain. This time, I found her by the lakeside, speaking to a nymph. At first, I was taken aback. I didn't know they even could speak or wanted to speak to demigods. But then I remembered that this involved Anusha, and I realized that making friends with everybody is kind of her thing.

"Anu?"

Her back straightened and stiffened. "What." She didn't even turn to look back at me. Okay, great. Now she was mad at me.

I sighed and rubbed my face. "Anu, come on. We're best friends, right? I know you care for me, but you can't just fucking torture people for information."

She grunted, murmuring darkly, "That's not how I see it."

My anger spiked again. "Oh yeah? Then how _do_ you see it, oh infallible one?" I had fucked up by saying this, but I didn't know that yet.

Without a single sound, Anusha rose to her feet and turned to glower at me. Only then did I see why I had fucked up. Her face as bright red as her eyes, tears streaked with watery tracks, eyelids and cheeks puffy. She'd bitten her lips until they bled, and her hair and skin looked soaked, just like her clothes. So maybe she took a swim to cool off?

Her chin quivered. "I see it as me getting revenge on the person that nearly took my world from me. My mom was my world. She left me. I have no mom now. And when she abandoned me, you let me into your life. You replaced her. And then my dad came back to me. I only have my dad and you. My dad isn't just my world. He's my universe. My world is a part of that universe." A quake in her voice and an awkward stop in her words. Oh, she was going to cry again.

"But apparently my world doesn't understand me. Now leave me alone." She spun around one last time and plopped down onto the sand, her naiad friend wrapping an arm around her. The blue-skinned woman with the ebony hair shot me a sad smile and nodded reassuringly. I didn't know what to do, so I left.

Reginald was far better equipped to deal with all this emotional stuff than me. I was barely used to talking to people to begin with. Emotions are just too much. Well, kind of. I know my feelings. I know myself. I generally know how others feel. You guys saw that. And I can express myself fairly well. But I usually have the most difficulty with making sense of why others feel the way they do, especially if they have a hard time talking about their feelings. I can feel empathy and sympathy, but it's hard to make sense of things when there's no open line of communication.

(That's the same reason why Anusha and I still butt heads nowadays. She's not much of a talker when it comes to negative emotion, so we fight and fight and fight until she just vents it all out to me when we're both on each other's nerves. Sometimes her anger is attractive. Sometimes it's annoying. Sometimes it's scary. Sometimes it's all three, and that's when the nighttime routine gets very interesting, to say the least.)

But I couldn't deal with her at that moment. She was just too much, and I needed a break. I huffed and puffed all the way to the Pavilion, where Will, Reginald, Connor, and Naomi awaited me at the Apollo table. They shared a few looks of concern and confusion before motioning for me to sit with them. I plopped down hard and crossed my arms over my chest.

Never once had I been this frustrated and irritated with my best friend. Anusha always seemed so nice and easy to talk to, but apparently, even she could get more stubborn than a bull and angrier than a rabid cat if she wanted to.

Will rubbed his chin. "She yelled at you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Wow, is it _that_ obvious? Of course she did!" My temper had returned to sarcasm and snark. At least I wasn't yelling, _unlike a certain someone_.

Reginald moved to sit beside me and rest a hand on my shoulder. He purposely turned my head to face him and smiled sadly. "I know you two are close. But I think she needs this. And I think you need this. She needs to be angry and hurt. And you need to be irritated and upset. Just rant to me. I'm sure she's ranting to whoever. And once you both are sufficiently calm, then come find me, and we'll figure out what went wrong when, okay?"

I grumbled. The guy had a point. No group ever achieved anything by fighting amongst themselves. Only if we worked through our issues would our communication improve. "Fine."

He beamed. "Glorious! Now, let's get you some lunch. I'm sure you're starving. Where exactly is Anu right now? I'll bring her some food later."

Naomi bit her lip and raised a pointer finger up to object to his plan. "Um, Reggie, I know you three are questing and all, but I'm her sister and know her well. Maybe I should go."

The ivory-skinned son of Hermes nodded. "Yes, you do know her better. But how will you protect yourself if she attacks you? Your light doesn't exactly protect against plagues, to my knowledge, and I don't know if there's enough ultraviolet to destroy all the bacteria Anusha holds. I, however, can run away fast enough to escape and not get hurt or hurt anyone else."

The young woman nodded, sighing. "Fair enough. Alright, let's eat," she hummed out while stretching her arms. "I didn't have enough for breakfast."

I grinned to myself a little. "Is it just me, or do all Apollo kids love food more than people expect?"

She winked. "Find that out for yourself, buddy. I spill no secrets."

* * *

Lunch eaten and stomachs full, the group dispersed, leaving me and Reginald to attend our lessons together.

He said little, letting me wallow in my anger once per lesson. When I asked why he kept cutting me off during my Anger Moments, he replied, "Anger is like a stream. If you let it flow too much, it'll overflow and flood the plain, even if there's a dam. But if you let none pass at all, it'll build up more and more until the dam breaks, and there's no way to stop the flash flood that follows."

I raised an eyebrow, trying to hold back my smile. "You didn't tell me you were a poet."

He laughed and squeezed my shoulder with a cold hand. He looked me in the eyes, and I felt like he was searching my soul in that moment. "Buddy, I know way too much about emotions. Not because it's inherent, but because I had to learn. My mother came from a horribly bigoted family. They never tried to understand anyone else and were recluses of the bad kind."

Reginald's deep blue eyes darkened, his distaste for his mother's side of the family coming through in his tone and in his grimace. He paused a moment later and closed his eyes, relaxing his facial features before returning my gaze. "Sorry. I just really don't like them."

He continued with a smile. "But Maman wanted me to grow up and treat people kindly and with lots of love and respect. She made sure I knew I had no right to disrespect anyone unless they deserved it, and taught me how to control and monitor my own emotions. You gotta learn to control your own negative emotions before trying to soothe other people's negative emotions and bigotry," he reasoned.

I nodded. "Fair point. She's a smart woman."

"Yep. Her parents' and relatives' spite for all kinds of people drove her to go the opposite way and be as open and nice as possible and to always boost the voices of the unacknowledged and unheard. Not speaking for them, but handing them the mic whenever there's a chance."

The young man tapped his chin, thinking quietly to himself about everything he'd just said. He admitted, "Part of it comes from how she had no friends growing up because of her family's hateful nature, so there's that too. But most of it is that she recognized how our family made money."

I frowned. "Were they slave owners or something? I thought slavery was banned in Europe in the eighteenth century or something like that."

"Kinda, yeah. As it turned out, one of my ancestors had made it big in the diamond industry. He was a Frenchman living in South Africa and found a diamond mine in a somewhat remote area of the country. He got rich real quick by putting the resident black people to work in the mines and giving them pennies-worth of pay for hours upon hours of dangerous work. It was basically slavery, if I'm being honest." A usually smiling face contorted into a sneer. I'd never seen him make that expression before, and I was a bit nervous. I had no idea what kind emotions this guy felt, even if he wore his heart on his shoulder.

Reggie growled, "That asshole made people work in the mine even after a few areas collapsed and killed people who couldn't escape. He used the lives of those without any kind of power or opportunity to fatten his pockets." He breathed to cool down again.

"Those men and their families built the family business more than we did, and they suffered more for it than we did. Their blood, sweat, and tears let us benefit, and Maman recognized the horrible nature of that truth. That's why she left them all behind in Paris. It must have been so hard. I'm just so proud of her, ya know? Leaving behind everything you knew just because you learned of a horrible truth in your family's history? That's hard."

I smiled. So Reginald wasn't one of those entitled rich boys. He was a rich boy whose mother saw her family's blood-soaked wealth, the hard-earned profits made by innocents and helpless people. She left her family to make a life somewhere she could help people who needed it and made sure that her son actively acknowledged his own privilege and power in their new home.

Truly, I appreciated the realization his mom had and the guy's willingness to see the truth of how good he had it in the US, but that didn't mean Reggie had free passes to talk about all issues now. I still expected him to know his place in the conversations of wealth disparity and race issues in this country (and he did, thankfully).

Noticing my reaction, he gave a soft, reminiscent grin. He was the type that really loved his mom proudly and thought of her as his hero. Clearly, she taught him well and loved him as a mother should. Reginald's mom raised a good son.

"Maman always loved the American Southwest. Mostly because of the cowboy movies she binge-watched as a child, but also because she hated the cold of Paris. She wanted somewhere warm and open, and Arizona became her first choice, oddly enough. And she started looking up all kinds of organizations to volunteer at while she built up her business with the money she earned from her paid internship days. I know it sounds like she tries too hard, but I don't think that's a bad thing. It's only bad if someone tries too hard with something just to look good or perfect or whatever. It's good if someone tries too hard because they actually believe in the cause."

As I recalled at that moment, Anusha used to look that happy and excited when speaking about her mom. Eventually she grew silent and didn't bring her mother up in conversation after her mom stopped speaking to her.

Reggie blushed. "Wow. I have been talking way too much, huh? Sorry. I just get so excited. Mom has a good story and such and I just wanna be able to talk about her a lot. She's just such an awesome person."

I punched his arm lightly. "Hey, no worries. I get excited talking about my parents too. I have two dads. I have the dad that raised me, who I call Tetatzin, and the dad that created me, Ares. I had a mom, but she died in battle." Copying Reginald's actions, I took a breath to calm down before continuing.

"Tetatzin always taught me about moderation and humility and honor. He taught me a lot of the values people associate with kings and warriors and legendary figures. It was weird, but I understood his point and lessons. Your mom wanted to teach you how to be kind and gentle and help people who were put down by the system. My dad taught me to respect all people the same way and to let everyone feel like an adult with agency and not give people preferential treatment."

He hummed. "Then what did Anusha's mom teach her?"

I sighed. "I don't think she taught her at all. Her mom was always busy, and Anu never troubled her with anything because her mom had too much on her plate, as it was. So, she never had any opportunity to figure out what she valued and cared about most in terms of how she treated other people and valued for herself."

Reggie stopped to take my hand as we walked away from Archery lessons, where we spent half the time making good shots and talking amongst ourselves about our families. He gave a soft squeeze to my palm and hummed curiously, "So what does that make you realize?"

Our eyes locked together. "She probably didn't have any specific honor code or lessons or anything to guide her. She cared about protecting her mom and keeping the woman happy, and that meant doing whatever was necessary, whether it was getting good grades in school or taking up the chores at home. And if she lived in a bad area, she probably didn't have too many role models to take after, and maybe her friends couldn't spend enough time with her because they had to get home safe. She grew up alone and couldn't learn how to deal with her negative emotions beyond pushing them away to keep her mom happy and as stress-free as possible."

He nodded with a warm grin. "Good deduction. So what will you do now?"

"I'm gonna go find my best friend and make sure I help her however I can. I owe her that for not understanding her or even trying to."

Reginald sighed happily and moved forward to hug me tightly, rubbing my back. "I'm so proud of you, dude." I'd be lying if I said I didn't melt into him a little and hugged back tightly. "You did so well. Well done. I'll go with you, too. I promise."

When he pulled back, my fellow teenage son of a Greek god smiled and kissed my cheek properly, letting his lips linger for a few seconds before moving away entirely and hurrying off to find Anusha.

I couldn't pull my feet off the ground until Reggie called to me, a fair eyebrow lifted in confusion. "You coming or not?!" Shaking my head, I followed quickly.

And then began the quest of searching for Anusha. Again.

(Seriously, what is it with her and running off to secret locations to avoid people?)

I led Reginald back to the canoe lake where I spotted her with the naiad, only to find the entire place empty. The silence twisted my heart with fear. Like a horror movie, a singular figure rose out of the water in complete quiet. Anusha's friend! She smiled sadly at me and pointed towards the region of the woods I'd never explored yet.

"Is that where Anusha went?" The naiad nodded in response to Reggie's question. We thanked the water spirit and shared a sidelong glance and began rushing into the curtain of trees to find our friend.

Sundown found us before we found Anu. Reggie and I trudged back to the cabins, having easily recalled the way we walked in since we didn't go too deep into the forest. We weren't worried that anyone kidnapped or captured her. No one would be stupid enough to try that. But we worried she got lost and tired and camped out in the unexplored regions of the forest instead of trying to find her way home. No one ever spent that much time in that place at night. Who knows what monsters lurked there in the shadows of the pines and poison oaks?

When Will heard from us that we couldn't find his sister, the poor guy dropped like a rock onto his bench at the Apollo table. The Pavilion almost stretched with all the people trying to cram food into their mouths after a long day of activities and drama.

Naomi and the other sunshine kids tried to console their eldest brother, but the dude had seen too much. One sister kidnapped and the other sister missing. He couldn't take much more. I knelt down and grabbed his shoulders so I could look him in the eyes. "I promise, Will. We'll find Anu. No matter what happens, we'll find her and bring her home safe to you. Okay? Don't worry."

Reginald coughed. "Um, are we gonna do a search party like we did for Izzy?"

"No. We have to be clever about how we look for her. Anu doesn't wander off like that intentionally. She doesn't listen to anything but her gut, so we have to do the same. Maybe something compelled her to go in there. We have to ask around and figure out what it could be."

He hummed and nodded. "Good point." One of his fingers rose up to tap at his chin. "Then let's start by asking Apollo himself. He has the first and greatest connection to this place. Basically created CHB. He might know something, especially since he is her dad."

I sighed. "I hope we find her soon. This is the absolute worst time for her to disappear."

* * *

"I'm sorry, _what?!_"

My new friend and I winced, faces contorting in response to the god's reaction. Apollo's eyes shimmered pale gold, as if the anger and frustration had begun simmering deep inside him, yearning to reach the boiling point.

We tried to calm him down so that he wouldn't scorch or blind any of us, but it almost didn't work. At one point, the sun god sat down on a rock and put his face in his hands. His face crumpled, and my heart just about stopped. I thought he was going to cry.

Reginald knelt beside him carefully and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're upset and worried, sir. But we are too. She's not just our quest-mate. She's our friend. We'll find her. I promise. Don't you worry. We'll find her and bring her back to you, Lord Apollo." The centuries-old being of immense power gave the new son of Hermes a small smile and nodded.

"Thank you, child."

We decided it was best to bring him to Will and go look for Anu on our own. Clearly, Apollo had no idea where she was. And if he did, he probably wouldn't tell us out of the expectation that we learn to find her ourselves.

I think all gods want to guide and teach half-bloods, but in different ways. Some are obvious about it, like Athena sending Annabeth Chase off to find the Athena Parthenos on her own with no help. Others are more subtle, like Apollo keeping hush about the location of his daughter so my new companion and I would learn how to track her using nothing but our own skills and knowledge.

I couldn't understand why he just broke down like that, but the man had just met his daughter after fourteen years of being separated from her. He had a right to worry.

So, we went off to the woods. We started by asking the nymphs and satyrs we passed if they'd seen her. As a general rule, most of Camp's non-human residents tried to keep an eye on her because her powers are, well, destructive. She was a bigger hazard to them than to us, so they made sure they knew where she was most of the time and let one another know to avoid her. The naiads didn't seem to care, but the other beings did.

The dryads really seemed to hate her, even though she once helped one of the tree nymphs get rid of a nasty case of root rot. Then again, helping someone one time will not make their entire community love you. That's not how it works.

Reggie and I followed the trees' directions to where they saw her last. We found what looked like footprints, deep impressions in the mud left by tennis shoes of some sort. We tried to walk around them so we wouldn't mess up the tracks and ended up finding a huge open clearing. But, there was nothing there. No other tracks, nothing. Not even a line of decayed grass and plants to lead us to Anusha. Nothing.

"This is stupid. How are we supposed to find someone we don't know that well?!" Reginald exclaimed with a huff. He sat down on the grass hard, groaning pathetically.

I sighed and sat down. "I don't know, man. I can't think like her. She's just so different from the both of us. I just wanna know she's safe and happy and okay."

Reggie looked over at me and watched closely for a moment. "You see your mother in her."

I sputtered and coughed, choking on my own saliva. "Excuse me?!"

He shrugged. "Just saying what I observe. You've been heartbroken for a while. You haven't been with your mom very long since she was always deployed. Then you find Anusha here and get close with her. She's awesome, if a little loud and rambunctious and too cocky. But it's charming, her overconfidence. Reassuring. And then, your mom passed. You were depressed for so long. And when you connect with Anusha again, you say she looks like the sun. She lights things up. Things get better, and now she's gone again because she did some bad things for your protection."

The oddly observant son of Hermes looked away, gazing out into the darkness of the wood around us. "I don't claim to be an expert on things, Tlato. I'm not that smart. Not like you, anyways. But I do know emotions and how to read people. You just want her back. Anusha is your best friend. She's the closest thing to your mom that you can find, I think. I never met and don't know your mom, but I have a feeling she's a lot like Anu. We tend to befriend people similar to us and to our parents. That comfort of choosing things that both are comfortable and new."

I stared at him. "None of that made any sense, but I know what you mean. And yeah. Mom was…well, the few times I met her, she was a bit like Anu. Bright, coy, mischievous, clever. She was awesome. But I didn't ever get to know her. For someone who was supposed to raise me, she was so far away from me all the time."

Reginald nodded. He listened patiently and scooted over to sit beside me, legs crossed as he watched my face.

"It probably sounds silly, but I don't like talking about my emotions. It just never works out for me. Either people get bored, or they don't understand, or they don't agree. It's just so much work and wasted time to try and seem personable and talk about my thoughts in a way that caters to people." I thought through all of my past, all the times I had to deal with rude kids, horrible bullies, evil teachers. It was all the same thing. Boys shouldn't cry. Boys shouldn't be soft. Boys shouldn't ask for help.

And I hated it.

"I was so fucking alone for so long, just because I wanted to talk emotions with someone who understood without judgement, and I never found that person." A smile came to my face, and my companion matched me. He bumped my shoulder with his and chuckled.

"And then you met Anusha?"

I laughed. "Not exactly. I met my little sister Kayda. She's a darling. But she understood me. She got me and didn't judge. She just listened and loved and connected with me, even if she didn't entirely understand my feelings themselves."

Reginald snickered and snorted. "So when does Anu come into play?"

"Patience, dude. Hold on. So after meeting Kayda and becoming close with her did I kind of open up at Camp. Still hard, but better. And then after two years of being here and one year of knowing Kayda, I met Anusha, and she forced me to open up more. I am so grateful that she did, but damn, it was hard. I couldn't deal with a lot of things because I only had a kid sister who didn't understand some of the heavier burdens of demigod stuff, and I didn't want to scare her."

A soft hum of understanding and slow circles rubbed into my back. I leaned into the touch and rubbed the exhaustion from my eyes.

"Anusha made me connect to people, and I can't thank her enough. Here was someone my age who understood me and my issues and experiences and could relate with her own issues and experiences. Our values are vastly different, but she cares for me all the same."

The shock of Anusha attacking that boyfriend of Maximus' hit me again. That moment made me realize how different we were. I never liked to hurt people for any reason beyond self-defense. She was willing to hurt people to get over her need for vengeance, especially if that person hurt her loved ones. I admitted something I say often, but not to other people. "And I'm scared of her."

Reggie nodded. "I don't think you should fear those you love, but I understand why. I definitely do. You're right to be afraid because her powers _are_ dangerous. Can't lie about that. But does it overshadow your love for her?"

"No way. Absolutely not. I just wanna see her happy again. Properly happy, not half-happy like she's been this entire summer." He smiled at my response.

"Then it's okay."

I sighed and pulled some pieces of grass from the ground, twisting the strands to occupy my hands. "And I get her desire to protect me, but I just want her to know how to treat people and to know that I can protect myself. Her anger is dangerous. And that can be an advantage in battle, but not during interrogations. It's just frustrating that she doesn't understand that. Especially since she uses that claim of wanting to keep me safe as a justification for her cruelty. I can protect myself. I've been here at Camp way longer and am a better fighter. Not to mention, people have used me as an excuse and scapegoat all my life. I do not want to get that from my best friend too."

Reginald turned me by my shoulders to look at him and smiled, taking my face into both hands. "Tlatoany, you are a really smart guy, and you are an incredible fighter. I agree. You'll figure it out. But Anusha isn't used to talking through her emotions, and you need to try to understand why. And I do agree that using you as a reason for her cruel treatment is wrong, but she doesn't handle negative feelings in a healthy way, usually." He sighed and nodded before continuing.

"I had the blessing of a mother who made sure I knew the importance of emotional discussions, but Anu's mom was too busy, and Anu herself lived in a scary area. You know these things better than I do. So you need to keep in mind that emotion is hard for her. She's learned to rely on her gut to protect her, so her emotions come out uncontrolled and at weird times. She feels passionately about protecting you because she does love you, so she'd be pissed at the person who tries to kill you."

"Yeah, but-"

He chuckled. "Ah ah ah, I'm not done." I shut my mouth and huffed. "She's like a hunter or a tigress. She lives by instinct. She just knows things like fighting and the dangerousness of strangers and the level of alertness needed in different situations, but complex stuff like emotions and ethics during interrogation aren't her strong suit. You gotta understand that and make it clear to her why that's an issue. You can't expect her to agree based on a five minute convo where you just got mad at her, buddy. And yeah, you are a better fighter, but she's a plague-bringer, and she's the most overconfident person in Camp. Her ego tells her she's more powerful and stronger than anyone else. Of course she'll say she wants to keep you safe all the time."

I paused and then replied. "I hate when you two are right." Reginald laughed hard and nodded.

"Yep!" He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my cheek and smiled. "By the way, I know people keep insinuating that you two should get together. Love can be many things, but it should never be forced. You can love her as a friend, as a sibling, as a romantic, or none of the above. It's okay to do that."

My face heated up, but I appreciated the words. At least _he_ understood that. Putting the words 'love' and 'Anu' in the same sentence terrified me for the past few days, but this was a relief.

"Thanks, man. But for the record, I could never be her sibling. I cannot imagine having to see her do stupid shit every morning and remember that she and I share the same blood." Reginald's laugh rang through the clearing as he unhelpfully helped me up.

He winked at me. "I have a feeling it's also because she isn't someone you _want_ to see as a sibling." I groaned, and Reggie punched my arm. "It's okay. I can't either. She's just not a sibling-type of friend. For the record, I don't see you as a brother, so if you have any crushes on me, you're free to let me know!"

I rolled my eyes. He and Anu were both so cocky about random things sometimes. But, just to make him blush, I nodded seriously and kissed his cheek. "I'll be sure to tell you if anything like that comes up, yeah?" He turned bright red at that and then went crimson when I started laughing softly. He grumbled but looked away to the side and did some kind of cheer for himself.

Nothing about that little action would seem funny or interesting to anyone, but it made me laugh harder. Just the idea of him being so excited about getting a kiss on the cheek seemed so amusing to me.

"Is it your goal to get kisses from us or something?" I teased. He just scratched the back of his neck and gave an awkward grin before making some comment about tracking and running off. I followed, but kept thinking about that moment. Kinda seemed weird that he got so antsy at the last question-joke-thing. I mean, I wasn't seriously believing that he wanted that kind of affection from me and Anusha, but I think he grew up so used to physical affection that he craved it from the people he was closest to.

And then, I thought about it a bit more and wondered about the three of us: me, Reggie, and Anusha. I had no clue how they felt about our friendship, but I kind of felt comfortable with them. Just them. Anusha was loud and confident and warm and smooth. She was like a gaudy-looking heated blanket. You feel the love and comfort of a heated blanket, but you kinda can't hide it from anyone if you wanna put it away because it just stands out so much.

Reginald was more like your favorite item or toy or whatever from childhood that you never could get, but that you bought when you grew older. You can feel the nostalgia when you see it, but it's such a new and fascinating thing to you that you don't wanna go anywhere without it.

I know those are weird descriptions, but that's the best way I can think of to explain how I feel about the two of them.

Still, Reggie seems to like when I call him my favorite idiot, so I think we're fine. Anusha huffs whenever I call her a heated blanket, even though she's literally got the highest core temperature of the three of us, but she preens at it when my comment is accompanied with a kiss.

Reginald and I continued on the journey and tried to look for some sort of clues. We traversed deeper into the dark forest, always checking our watches and the sky to make sure we would get out by sunset in case of any potential nocturnal danger.

Eventually, we found a very important place in the forest. The same place from which Apollo had to save his children and fight off one of the Roman kings of old.

The Grove of Dodona.

We couldn't figure out what drew us here, but we figured this was what Anusha experienced on a daily. Gut feelings did not come easily to us. We were not naturals with anything. The two of us carefully walked through and around the little circle of seven trees and tried to search for anything that would tell us something about our friend. Considering this was a sacred place with a connection to Apollo because of its recent history, we figured it would have drawn Anu to it.

And then Reginald found something that made my heart plummet down to my feet.

Blood splatters on several rocks that stood near the trees. A few were fist-sized stones that were dripping with red fluid, while other larger stones bore streaks of what looked like crimson paint. This was like something out of a horror movie.

"Tlato, is that-"

I tried to not cry. "I think so." The young man grasped his hair and fell to his knees, breaths speeding up as his hands moved to cover his ears. Both eyes closed tightly, and he swayed forward and back, shoulders quaking roughly.

My body made no move to help him, because I couldn't. I didn't know how. Reginald managed to soothe himself with a muttered statement in French or some other language. He slowly started mumbling and sat up straighter with each repetition. Finally, his hands lay at his sides while his eyes opened carefully. I, on the other hand, only grew worse.

My stomach churned when my intrusive thoughts and imagination created the scene of someone smashing the sides of my best friend's head into the short boulders and then forcing the smaller rocks into the wounds. I rushed out just past the Grove and puked in a muddy area with no trees so the dryads wouldn't get mad at me. Reggie sprinted after me and rubbed my back, cooing softly while trying to not sound terrified himself.

"We have to get Apollo. We have to tell him. Reggie, we can't do this on our own. We need-"

He put a hand on my shoulder and pulled me up after I was better. "No. We need to follow the tracks. We need to keep looking. When we reach a dead end, then we'll go to him. We're gonna continue, Tlatoany." Deep blue eyes softened at my tears. "I know you're too curious to let this go, despite the horrid things we just saw."

I nodded. I was indeed too curious. Doesn't mean I was excited, though. My mind (and stomach) couldn't handle the prospect of that blood being Anusha's.

But we pushed on, like Reggie suggested.

We looked through every area of forest that we could reach within a five minute walk. We pushed open bushes and pulled back branches and did our best to think like our missing friend, but we weren't her. We couldn't magically become her. That was outside our skill set. We weren't exactly telepaths. We had limits

As the sun settled behind the horizon, Reggie and I trekked back to the cabins and sat down beside Apollo on the steps of his cabin.

My voice broke as I spoke. "I'm so sorry, sir. I'm so sorry." I burst into tears, and he pulled me into his arms. He comforted me softly, "I know. I know what you saw. I'm so sorry, boys. I'm sorry."

Reggie sniffled and rubbed his eyes, leaning into the hand of Apollo's that cradled his cheek. "Can't you find her?"

The all-seeing sun god shook his head. His voice broke, too. "No."

We sat there and wallowed in sadness together before returning to our cabins. Reginald clung to me in a tight hug after we got off the steps. I held on just as hard, needing the love to get through the night. His arms curled around my waist since he was too short to reach my neck, and I couldn't be bothered to bend down anything other than my head.

"I know we got this. We'll figure it out, Tlato. I know it." It sounded like he was saying it more for himself than for me, but I just nodded and held his hands.

When I realized his tears were about to start, I pressed kisses to his cheeks and forehead. He gave me those sad blue eyes, and I had to force myself to push the tears down. I wouldn't cry when he needed me to be strong. He kissed my cheeks and forehead in return before laying a peck to the corner of my lips. "We don't leave without her, Tlatoany. I don't care what it takes. We do not go without her," he grunted when my body moved back, ready to return to my bed.

I smiled weakly, despite the fire in my heart. "Good. Because I wasn't about to go on my very first quest without my best friend at my side." He grinned and nodded, rushing off to the Hermes cabin a moment later.

My eyes moved to gaze at Lord Apollo, but he had already returned to his cabin to relax with his children and maybe find some peace despite his daughter's disappearance.

* * *

Reggie and I didn't even go to dinner. We sat in our rooms with our favorite siblings and ate whatever the counselors brought for us. I only know about Reginald staying in too because he texted me the entire time we were apart. I think he needed my words and comfort as much as I needed his. Eventually, I deduced that he'd probably recalled the trauma of having witnessed the murder of his friend's parent. And for me? I had trauma of my own, pertaining to the possible death of my best friend. There was no way for me to deal with that on my own after having fought with her and then losing her when she ran away.

We stayed up talking as long as we could but put our phones away at the sad suggestions from our counselors. Kayda, though she wanted to go sit with the others at our table, stayed by my side in the cabin and ate dinner with me there so I wouldn't be alone. In the Hermes cabin, Emilia kept Reggie company as he tried to calm down and work through his issues.

Kayda didn't have much advice to give me on how to deal with Anusha's absence. I don't know what I even wanted to hear. I didn't want to hear anything. I just wanted her to be there with me, safe and sound.

Sounds ridiculous, I know. I fought with her and yelled at her and am kind of scared of her, but here I am saying I want the best for her. But can you really blame me? She was the only person in Camp that I truly considered a close friend because she actively participated in my life and recognized my desire for friendship, even if I couldn't state it obviously enough. She helped me grow and get better in things I wanted to achieve, while also appreciating what I had to teach her. And in the end, even when my mom was gone, and it felt like the universe would collapse at any mishap, Anusha sat and smiled and kept pushing me forward so I never gave up.

She was my very best and dearest friend, and she was gone, possibly dead. How would I deal with that, huh? How do you handle the concept of your favorite companion being gone when she's the closest friend you have in your entire life after years of feeling out of place in any school you attend, any activity you participate in?

I didn't handle it. I sat and cried softly as Kayda held me, and then I went back to planning. As I said before. I know my emotions. I know others' emotions. I do not know how to make sense of why they feel the way they do, but I can sympathize with their struggles. For my own issues, I can't sit and cry and feel better after that. Making a plan to try and locate her was what brought me peace of mind. Thinking logically through things made me feel better.

And once I had a plan in mind, I went to bed. Kayda slept at my side, curled around me in case I woke up from night terrors or cried myself to sleep. I did neither of those things. But the dreams did return.

_Anusha sobbed. She screamed and sobbed, smashing the side of her head into the rocks. My heart jumped. I recognized the rocks with which she was injuring herself. The same short boulders I saw at the Grove of Dodona. I tried to hold down my dinner as I saw the blood spurt forth from her temples. Deep gashes embedded into her head already, Anu grabbed a few sharp rocks from the dirt and ground them against her ears, causing the stream of blood flowing down her neck to grow. _

_I nearly puked again, the nausea slowly filling my body at the sight of her self-violence. I couldn't comprehend her actions or the reasoning behind them, but I tried to make her stop. My hands went through her every time I tried to pull them away from the cuts in her head. _

_After several minutes of continuously pushing objects against her ears, as if to avoid hearing something impossibly loud and horrible, she started hitting her forehead against one of the short rocks, as if attempting to force herself to fall unconscious. _

_Unable to stop her, I watched helplessly. What tormented her like this? What was the cause of her inescapable agony?!_

_And then I slowly could hear._

_A singsong voice multiplied by a million, crooning and hissing some kind of horrible song over and over. Who knows how long Anusha had been hearing that? Just hearing it once, I felt extremely uneasy, disturbed. I don't even remember what the poem actually said, but I remember the horror I felt at listening to it in that dream. If she heard it for more than five minutes, she was probably going insane. And if she heard it for more than an hour? It was clear why she was hitting her head against those rocks. She wanted to make the poem stop. Not even a poem. More like a heralding of death. Anusha kept going, a sickening crack every time her skull made contact with the rough granite. _

_At last, she fell over, completely passed out. I could see her breathing, but I had no desire to go closer and look at her wounds. Instead, I glanced to her right, where a winged man in a black suit with a deep reddish-raspberry shirt checked his nails and hummed. He was way too carefree for having just seen a teenager go insane and hit her head against rocks. _

_I took a closer look and realized that the man appeared to be some kind of angelic bodyguard, wings the color of freshly bloomed roses and eyes like blood. I figured if Ares ever decided to switch up his style from heavy-metal-loving biker to a model from an Abercrombie and Fitch ad, he'd look like the bird-man. _

_The guy snorted and turned his overly excited stare to me. His tanned, almost Mediterranean skin painfully contrasted the bright crimson of his hair. I hadn't noticed it at first, but the whole time he watched Anu's violent episode, he seemed to be almost grinning, some kind of horrific elation alight in those creepy eyes. He snickered. "Bird-man, huh? Haven't heard that one before. Not wrong, but not right either, kid. I'm not a bird. I'm something of a guardian, actually. A defender of the throne."_

_I stared right back at him, absolutely livid at the fact that my best friend's suffering excited him. "What throne?"_

_He smirked. "Not a throne. The throne. The throne of Zeus, lord of the skies. Who am I? Tell me that, and I'll tell you what you need to know."_

"_Why should I care about an asshole that just smiled as my friend was hurting herself?" _

_The man's smile melted, replaced with a sneer and a glower of his own. I took several steps back, not expecting the sudden change. His eyes darkened slightly, shadows falling over the harsh lines of his cheekbones as he tilted his head down. I realized quickly that it was a bad move, saying that to him, but something made me falter. His eyes didn't hold the kind of startling, excessive interest they held just a moment ago. No, rather, they seemed sad. Almost depressed. "Watching her do that to herself is not fun to me, child. I'd tell you to mind your own words, but I understand that perception can be deceiving. Still, you should care. I'm going to be taking a huge role in her life, and if you want me to help her, you have to do as I say." _

_Unable to make any other decision to help Anu, I agreed. "Fine. Are you a sibling of my father?" _

_He shook his head, the smirk returning slightly. "Nope. Somewhat close, but no." _

_I tried to search through my past lessons with Malcolm to figure out who could be related to my dad and have something to do with Zeus' throne. “Are you some secret half-brother of my dad's that no one knows about yet?"_

_The man gave a hard chuckle, rolling his eyes. "And your friends think you're the smart one among them. What a fabulous lie. Wrong. Keep guessing." _

_Ouch. This guy was much ruder than my dad, that's for sure. A memory hit me quickly. It was brief, but I recalled it with clarity. Malcolm had been telling me about the First Titanomachy and how it went down, the preceding events, the war itself, and the aftermath. And at the end, he mentioned the goddess Styx, as in the river by which all demigods and gods swear their most serious oaths. Styx had stayed by Zeus' side to fight and became the symbol of perfect promises and unbreakable oaths. For her service, Zeus gifted her and she brought her children to him later. They became his guards. Four children became the guardians of his throne. Nike, the goddess of victory. Bia, the goddess of force. Kratos, the god of strength. And… "Zelos, the god of zeal." _

_The god grinned. "Indeed. Took you awhile, didn't it?"_

"_Why are you here in my dreams? And why are you watching Anusha suffer like that? Seriously, that's so messed up. You could have helped her." _

_He sighed. "No. I couldn't have. I, at the least, protected her from the monsters and assassins that are still in Camp Half-Blood trying to kill her. Her screams of agony would have called their attention to her. I kept the noises from leaving the Grove of Dodona and allowed her to escape to safety." _

_I growled, gritting my teeth to not say something I'd regret. "So instead of helping us find her, you just made sure no one heard her suffering and reached her in time to protect her?!" _

_Zelos gave me that glare again, but I was too angry to give a shit. _

"_What do you even want with her?" _

"_One thing at a time, kid. I made sure no one heard her because if anyone noticed her when she was so far away, she could have been killed, and no one would have known. You know now that she's alive because you saw her blood. That was hers, indeed."_

"_I don't have time for this. Answer my questions or just leave me alone." _

_Zelos rolled his eyes and snorted. "You're an impatient one. At least the girl has some semblance of patience and understanding. I'm in your dreams because I want to help you find her. I wasn't watching her suffer. I was watching her be strong, even in the face of suffering. Someone weak would have just curled up on the ground and accepted the torture of the Grove. Instead, she tried to solve the problem and free herself so she could come up with a real solution later. That wasn't weakness, that was strength. Glory. The zeal to live."_

_I grumbled at the poetics. Everyone was doing too much of that these days. Not enough clear, obvious statements. _

_The crimson-winged deity sighed. "I didn't help you find her sooner or let you hear her because the people from that army would have killed her before you even figured out where to look."_

_It didn't make that much sense, but I couldn't expect perfect answers from a god. No god would tell you things clearly. They like being mysterious and forcing you to figure things out on your own, usually, even if the mission is clear. But I was running out of fucks to give. "You said you had something to tell me?"_

"_Yes. You'll find Anusha by answering this question: What is the four-letter word she loves so much? She uses this word often, and it was the last thing she screamed before she made herself go unconscious. What is the word?"_

"_How the hell am I supposed to-"_

_He grinned. "Good luck, son of Ares. I'll be seeing you and Reginald very soon." _

_I screamed, "WAIT! HOLD ON!"_

"_What?"_

_I paused. "What?"_

_He grunted. "What is it? You asked me to wait." _

"_Uh, sorry, I'm not used to gods actually listening when we ask you to wait."_

"_Get on with it, kid, I have other plans after I leave this dream of yours." _

"_Yeah, yeah, uh, why is Anusha so important to you? I didn't realize she had any connection to you."_

_Zelos' eyes softened again. "Go ask Reginald the meaning of the word '_muttacchan'_." He grinned once again and tipped his head in an almost charming way, the jeer in his eyes returning swiftly. "See ya later, Tlatoany Castillo. Find Anusha quickly. I'm afraid she's very alone and heartbroken." _

And then I woke up. I climbed out of bed carefully, trying to not wake Kayda as my feet thudded softly on the cold wood. Sherman awoke and glared at me when he heard the door creak open, but I gave him a look and mouthed 'Anusha' at him, and he nodded, closing his eyes again.

I sprinted to Cabin Eleven and knocked on the door as fast and quiet as I could manage. No one answered until the third time, when Emilia pulled open the door. She grunted and raised an eyebrow, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She asked in a gruff voice, "What the hell do you want?"

"Emilia, please, get Reginald right now. This is about Anusha. Tell no one except Connor. I know how to find her, but I need his help. Please?" Her eyes widened comically as the explanation ended. Her head bobbing in agreement, she closed the door and hurried away to get her brother. Reggie ran out of his cabin and into my arms, pulling back to look up at me and hold my face in both hands.

"You know how to find her?"

I nodded seriously. "But I need your linguistic ability. Do you know any Indian languages?"

He frowned and nodded. "Kinda, yeah. Took an interest in a few, including Malayalam, after meeting Anu and hearing her mumble in Malayalam from time to time. Just learned basic words and phrases so I could help her feel comforted whenever she feels lost or scared or uneasy."

I couldn't help but smile at that. "You're a good friend, Reggie." My third-favorite companion after Anu and Kayda blushed awkwardly, his neck and cheeks and ears flushed red. I had to keep us on track, though. "Now, I need you to come with me."

We hurried off to the center of the rectangle that contained all the cabins. "I got a dream from Zelos just now. He told me to ask you what the word '_muttacchan_' means. That's the last detail he mentioned, but it might help us with the main problem."

Reggie closed his eyes and mumbled to himself and answered with a confused look on his face as he turned to me. "It means 'grandfather' in Malayalam." I knew it was something important and familial. There was that look in Zelos' eyes when he spoke about Anu. Like the gaze that Apollo got when he talked about her with me during Maximus' boyfriend's interrogation.

"Okay. So Zelos said that Anusha has a favorite four-letter word that she uses all the time. It was, apparently, also the last thing she screamed out before she went crazy and started hitting her head against the rocks we saw in the Grove of Dodona."

My companion gaped at me, eyes getting teary. "So that was really her blood?"

"Yes, but she's safe. And alone. She needs us. So keep focused, Reggie. Okay?"

He breathed and nodded, voice still shaking after that terrible detail. "Okay."

"What's a four-letter word Anu loves a lot?"

"Um, how about 'love'?"

I snorted. "Nah, not really. Something she says a lot. What would she scream before going insane?"

Reginald hummed and tapped his chin. "Well, most people scream for their parents when they're in pain."

Things clicked. "Parents in general, or just mothers?"

Reggie seemed to have the same realization as me. "Mothers, usually."

I swallowed. "And the Malayalam word for 'mother'?"

He wet his lips. "'Amma.'" We shared a look. "Where would a girl who wants her mother go? A girl who's been separated from her mother and only has her father?"

This was the last piece of the puzzle. We were so close. "The goddesses' cabins. Think of the main six. The minor goddesses are too unfamiliar to Anu. She wouldn't go to them."

The son of Hermes theorized aloud. "Not Hestia, whose cabin is still in construction. Athena cabin has people in there, and she isn't close to the goddess of wisdom. Also, I think she'd want to be alone after so much suffering. Not the Demeter cabin. No connection. Maybe the Artemis cabin, but she only just met her dad a few days ago. There is no way she's that close with her aunt. Definitely not Aphrodite, with whom she has no real connection."

We locked eyes and, after a pause, spoke in unison. "Hera."

Our feet pounded away at the sandy ground beneath us as we high-tailed it to the honorary cabin of the goddess of motherhood and marriage. At this point, it was close to sunrise, maybe six-thirty in the morning. We yanked open the beautiful white doors with all our might and nearly sobbed at the sight of our girl lying on the ground before the massive statue of Hera. She'd curled up into a ball on the frigid marble floors with only a thin silk blanket to shield her from the cold air in the room.

I power-slid towards her, cradling her head in both hands. She gazed at me with empty, tired eyes. I almost didn't recognize her. And to my horror and relief, she had no wounds. None of the gashes I'd seen on her in the dream remained on her body. Only the small scars at the locations of the bleeding indicated any history of injury. And when I looked around the room to check for any danger, my eyes spotted a beautiful middle-aged woman with brilliant blue-green eyes standing beside the statue casually, as if this were a daily occurrence for her. Her left hand rested on the base of the statue while the right tucked under her chest, the darkness in the room shifting away at the glow of her white and gold and purple chiton. This wasn't any random Karen. Clearly, a goddess had graced us with her presence.

"My son does produce the most faithful children, I must say."

Reginald squeaked. "No way. You can't be-! You're not-"

She chuckled curtly, the warm but high tones of her voice implying royal heritage and power. "I am. You must be shocked, but yes. I am Hera. Welcome to my cabin. I'm sure you've never been here before."

Reggie rushed forward and pulled Anu into his arms, checking her face and arms and lower legs for any sign of harm or bleeding. He then sighed and held her close at seeing nothing requiring worry. I couldn't help but stare at her like she'd just pulled a boat out of thin air. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled. "In short, this girl called upon me, requiring the love of a mother. I have not heard a plea or beg like that in many centuries. And her call weakened my heart. My children have ceased to love me so, and her helpless yearning for her own mother and her inability to gain her affection tugged at my conscience. As much as I am angry with my husband for his affairs and his infidelity and angry at the problems created in the recent decades by the Ancient Ones, I cannot ignore the cries of a child, no matter their age. So I came to console her. I healed her, yes. But she made a deal with me."

Hera's expression soured, as if she just ate a lemon or something equally unpleasant. But her confident and calm expression returned in a moment. "A bit pompous of her. I do not appreciate such behavior. But I pitied her condition and agreed anyway."

My heart sunk. I was having too many feelings that day. I needed a rest from feeling and emotion. It was exhausting dealing with all that. How does Reginald do it?!

"What was the deal?"

She smiled, not answering my question.

"She asked that I not tell anyone or anything at all until she has made the request. Well, I cannot stay. Olympus, once again, calls to me. Goodbye."

And with that, the Queen of the Heavens vanished into thin air, leaving only smoke that smelled faintly of pomegranates and lotus flowers. As I looked down at the face of my now-slumbering best friend, my heart couldn't help but melt. She'd returned to me, safe and sound and happy. But what had she heard that caused her to go berserk? What was her deal with Hera? More importantly, what made her even go into the Grove of Dodona to begin with?


	16. I Don’t Know What Love Is

I was not alive.

Well, as far as I knew, I was not alive.

Everything was black, I was kinda warm and kinda cold, and I couldn't feel anything. Seemed like death to me. But I was fine with it!

…Until I wasn't.

It was soft and comforting. Way better than the torture I'd endured from the Grove of Dodona. It was easy. And then, my mind created an image for me, maybe as a way of reminding me that life was more important than whatever this was. My family and friends came to mind. I didn't think they would mourn for me. I didn't think they would really break down or feel any kind of trauma about my death. I was cocky, yes. I still am. But there's always an internal fear that I'm not really as loved as I want to be. And the overconfidence comes out as a mechanism of self-reassurance.

The only reason I decided life was worth living was that my death would leave them vulnerable to the army and to the Beast the prophecy mentioned, the ones who probably kidnapped my baby sister. If I died, that would leave her in their hands and force my family and friends to fend for themselves.

I couldn't do that to them. I _wouldn't_ do that to them.

Having experienced sleep paralysis many times throughout elementary and middle school, I knew how to snap myself out of it before I could get in too deep. Because of that, waking up from this weird, almost death-like sleep didn't seem as difficult.

First, my fingers wiggled. And then my wrist. And then my lower arm. Upper arm, shoulder. Neck and head. Then down my spine to my stomach and hips. My upper legs, knees. Lower legs, ankles. My toes. When I could finally move everything, I pried my eyes open with all the strength I had in me. I could start to hear some kind of fuzzy noises, unclear but audible.

The light nearly blinded me, so my eyes shut quickly to avoid the pain.

Still, I can't come back to the people I love if my eyes are closed.

I forced my eyes to open and stay open, and they did, with a lot of squinting and tears. The noises grew in volume and became clearer as my other senses began functioning again.

Loud arguments (between my boys and my siblings) greeted me when I could finally see again. Not really a screaming match, but lots of stern words bounced back and forth between them. And then, a barrage of kisses to my face from Reginald, whose lap my head apparently rested in, a pillow placed over his thighs for my comfort.

"Uh, hi." Yeah, I know. So eloquently expressed. I am well aware.

He laughed through tears, and Tlato came over to crush my entire skeleton with his hug.

"Ouch."

The guy pulled back when he heard my exclamation, apologizing profusely and holding my face with both hands. Looking at him, I realized why I wanted to wake up. I couldn't die knowing I had been so harsh on him the last time we spoke. He was thinking the same thing, I think, because he leaned his forehead against mine and apologized "for all that was said in that argument". I accepted, obviously, but I couldn't understand why he still looked upset afterwards.

His lips pulled down into a frown, and I could only stare in confusion. "A-Are you okay? Is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I came back to you guys. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Reginald pulled the taller boy close to whisper something in his eyes. Tlato's face contorted with some kind of heartache, and he pressed my face into his shoulder, holding me gently. I leaned into his touch and sighed, unsure of what was going on.

I didn't feel different, but I knew they thought I had changed. That I wasn't myself anymore. It sucked, but I had no clue of how to deal with that or prove that I was the same Anusha, the same me.

But if I'm being honest, I knew I had changed. You don't experience what I did and feel completely normal afterwards. I couldn't be the same person I was.

You might be wondering what exactly I went through to make me feel so changed and uncomfortable and confused.

Here's a quick summary.

After my most recent fight with Tlato, I ran off to visit my naiad friend. She doesn't talk, but she tried to help me work through my issues however she could, mostly by smacking the back of my head when I said something bad or stupid and writing in English in the sand.

Then, Tlato came back and found me and got mad again. It was just another stupid argument. He was calling me a horrible person, and I called him ungrateful. That was the gist of it. So, I ran off. If you can't face your problems head on, you can always run away, bide your time, and then come back to face the problems when you're ready. So that's what I did. Also, I couldn't stand the thought of having to deal with him yelling at me again, especially after I just wanted to protect him.

I walked into the woods to think. Just find some peace and quiet so I could clear out my head. Something called to me, something in the heart of the woods. I followed that call because I was curious and hoped that it would help me with my problems.

It was the Grove of Dodona. It had called to me. I walked towards the center of the seven trees like the call had asked, and then I waited. My ears picked up an acute singing noise coming from somewhere near me.

I only realized much later that the singing was from the Grove. A hymn of death.

My death.

The Grove was taunting me, mocking me, singing in that horrible discordant song.

"_Child of the sunset, whose eyes grow gold, your death in summer is foreseen, the manner already foretold. Blood stains the sands, skin torn like papyrus, flesh and bone in your father's hands, body burning from cruel virus." _

The noise grew louder. I had no clue of what to do as the volume increased with each repetition of the poem. The last I knew, I was screaming for my mother and trying to find something to make the sounds stop. Then, I wake up in Reggie's arms, lying down on my bed in the Apollo cabin.

As soon as I'm helped up to a seated position, my dad rushes forward and grabs me into a hug. I cling to him and let him baby me, finding heavenly relief in the gentle pressure of his embrace. Too trapped in the hug to go down gracefully, I allow Apollo to fall back onto the floor and cradle me in his lap. He kissed my head and rocked me back and forth, letting me be a child while I recovered. He hummed some lullaby, and I fell asleep again, lost to the sweet silence of slumber. This time was better. I had dreams, but only of good things. Impossible things, actually.

I won't tell you what I saw in my dreams. Well, not yet.

When my eyes pried open again, I saw darkness. And then, spots and sprinkles of light, like microscopic polka dots of yellow and blue and red. At first, I couldn't understand what I was seeing. Maybe it was one of the cabins? But I didn't remember hearing about a cabin having a dark blue and polka dot ceiling. I would have remembered that.

My attention moved to the crick in my neck from lying on the ground. I turned my head a few times to free myself of the ache and saw my boys sitting closely, side-by-side with their hands clasped together. I tried to smile, but it didn't work, so I just smiled with my eyes. That was easier.

Then, I noticed the grass beneath my hands and the rush of air over my face. We were outside? If so, why had I been sleeping for so long that I got neck pain?

Tlato smiled when he saw me moving around, crawling over to join me on the ground. Reginald laughed and lied down on the opposite side. "Hey there, pretty girl. You had some good dreams last night?" the speedster joked.

"Meh. Kinda scary, but not that bad. Why are we outside?"

My best friend sighed and moved closer, taking my hands as he reclined onto the ground. "Well, you were having some kind of night terrors of some sort, and your powers flared. Reggie and I didn't want to sleep in our cabins after your incident, so we slept in the Apollo cabin. Your dad was fine with it. But when he saw you were panicking in your sleep, he asked us to take you out here and let you sleep on your hill. Sorry we came up here without asking your permission."

I shook my head and sat up, looking down over the valley. "This hill is ours. I decided I wanted it. When you became part of my life, Tlato, I decided I wanted to let you have this hill too."

Reggie quickly moved up and looked at me. "And me? Do I have any right over this hill?"

I looked at him and took his face in one of my hands. "Tlato and I both decided we wanted you. When we poured a piece of our own lives into trying to save you, we decided we wanted you in our life. You have as much right to this hill as we do."

He grinned and held onto my hand, turning his head to kiss my palm. I didn't know how to smile at that, but damn, he knew how to melt my heart.

"And where the hell is my kiss, track star?" Tlatoany playfully grumbled. Our funky friend laughed, tossing himself over my lap to drag the bigger boy's face down and kiss his cheeks. I could tell from Reggie's too-big grin that he was quite proud of himself for influencing our buddy to ask for kisses.

"Well, someone got close while I was basically dead," I droned lightly. Tlato shrugged. "With a guy as cute and charming as Reginald, kinda hard not to."

The Alfredo-sauce-skinned son of Hermes smirked. "Oh, come on, you can say something even nicer."

Tlato snorted. "I'm trying to keep your head from exploding. It's inflated enough."

"Where's my dad?"

The boys stopped immediately and started fawning over me, checking my head and face and hands and arms, as if I were injured or dying.

I hid my irritation, not wanting to upset or sadden them because I knew they needed to know I was safe. Maybe they saw something bad too, just like I heard something bad that I couldn't remember at the moment.

They helped me up and guided me all the way back to the Big House, where Apollo sat with Chiron and Will on the porch, speaking in soft tones about a serious topic. Dad saw me and lifted his head, grinning big and bright as usual. Will mimicked him, eyes almost brighter than our godly parent's when seeing me up and functioning again.

The boys walked me all the way to the little triangle of chairs, and I turned to stop them before they left. I didn't know what face to make. "I know you guys are worried about me. You're right to be concerned. You saw something that traumatized you about my health and safety. That's what I assume and now know is accurate. While I understand that you guys feel the need to check on me and keep me safe at all times, please don't forget who and what I am. I've taken everything in my life and faced it head-on. I'm gonna continue to do that, but I can't do it with you guys shielding me constantly. I'm hurt, not shattered. There's a difference. Respect it."

I turned around and sat in a chair offered to me before looking at their faces. I couldn't see their hurt expressions. That would make me feel guilty and would make me want to take back all my words. I had to look away to stay firm with my decision.

The boys left after murmuring their promises to do better. It broke my heart to hear their tones and not be able to turn around and hug them tight enough to crack ribs. Apollo squeezed my hand.

He only spoke after they left. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie."

I couldn't do anything but nod in thanks. It sounded like he was saying he was proud of me for being harsh to my favorite humans on Earth. I hated that.

Chiron asked in a somewhat shaky voice, "How are you feeling?"

I had to think about that. "Uh, I don't know. Am I supposed to feel something other than upset that my boys are hurt by my own words?"

Will smiled and leaned over to kiss my temple from where he sat at my right side. "Sweet girl. But he means about that traumatic moment with the Grove of Dodona. Are you alright?"

That made me frown. "Um. Maybe? I honestly can't tell. I'm just more hurt that I had to go to Hera for a mother's love rather than my actual mother. It's so stupid. What the hell is the point of my mother's existence if she won't do the only job the Universe gave her to do?" I sighed. "Whatever. Can't fix that now. Is there something you guys need from me?"

Apollo scooted his chair closer and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Well. I heard about your connection with the Hope Diamond." My eyes widened microscopically.

"Yeah. Um. It talked to me a few times. Is there a problem?"

He sighed and shrugged, looking at Chiron before turning back to me. "We don't know. It's been glowing deep purple out of absolutely nowhere. The same color of your powers when you remove disease."

Oh, okay, so there _was_ a problem. A really fucking weird one.

"And, it asked for you. With a real voice."

I choked on my spit. "The fuck-"

Dad sputtered and smacked my shoulder. "Hey! Language!"

I could only snort in amusement. "Sorry, Captain America. Didn't mean to offend you with my bad words." He made a huff and rolled his eyes.

"Hush!"

"Anyways. Who's gonna take me to it?"

Chiron looked away and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "See, the issue with that request is that…" He sighed, locking eyes with me. "The necklace disappeared."

I stared at him. What else was I supposed to do?! "What."

Will interjected, waving around his arms and trying and failing to keep himself calm. "We don't know how! The counselors for Hecate and Athena were in there an hour ago, and when they went in to check on it just now after having been absent for thirty minutes, they couldn't find it. All the counselors pitched in to look for it, most using their powers. It's just gone."

My hands held my face, and I growled. "Okay. Fine. Fine. Great. Perfect. Glorious. Not in the Nemesis cabin?"

"Not in any cabin or building."

I took in a slow breath. "Fine. We go without it. The necklace bonded hard to Reggie and Tlato and me. It'll come looking for us if it wants us that much. In the meantime, Will, gather all the people who I made a bet with." I looked him right in the face. "I hold to my promises, especially promises for a fight."

Apollo pointed out, "I was one of them too, my dear. But I don't think it's wise to try and fight now. You've dealt with so much."

"Dad." He paused, watching me intensely with silk-soft blue eyes. I reached down and pulled my drum sticks out from my belt loops, twirling them to reveal the knives. "I don't know my heritage. I don't know where I'm from, what I mean to the world. I don't know those things because Mom never taught me." That always got me. Every time I tried to ask about our family history or our past or our legacy, Mom refused. She shut down the conversation, either with anger or with sadness.

I never questioned her afterwards because I didn't want to upset her, but it meant I never got to learn about my family or ancestry. I didn't have any history to speak of proudly like Reggie and Tlato did.

"But I do know Epipole's story. She was a woman who tried. She went against all of society as a woman and fought as a man to die a hero. She did it because she felt it was right, she felt it was her duty. She made it her promise to fight for what she knew."

Apollo's frown deepened and eyebrows furrowed slowly with each of my words. "And as the person now bearing her weapons, it would dishonor her to break my promise to fight. I know I made that promise to fight because of a silly reason, but I'm not about to break it. I don't break promises to anyone, especially to those I consider my real friends and family."

Will grinned and hugged me from the side. "Look at my baby sister. All grown up and talking like a hero! Oh, I'm so proud!" He tilted his head back to smile at our father, but only received a disappointed sigh in response. "Dad, aren't you proud?"

The sun god sighed and shook his head. "I can't say I am."

I rolled my eyes. "Not gonna work, Dad. You wear your heart in your larynx. Hard not to tell how you actually feel. Maybe pick up some acting lessons from Mr. D or Lord Hermes."

He groaned. "No fair. How'd you know I was faking it?"

"Dad, seriously. I am the best liar ever. I've been lying to my mother about my feelings and emotions since I was a child. The only people better at lying than me are the Hermes kids, and that's because of their dad."

"Fair enough. But just be careful. Quests are no joke." Dad rubbed my back and winked. "And just remember. If those two boys ever mess with you, you are always free to whoop them for it. Tell them your dad gave you permission." At this, I rolled my eyes.

"Acchu. Come on. Not cool. But still, they're good guys." There was that itch again. "I trust them to protect me and care for me. After all, they're the ones that found me."

A little twinkle sparked in Dad's eyes, a brightness I didn't yet understand. Tinged with sadness and heartache, but so warm and sweet that I felt that love take over my entire heart, as cold as it was. "I'm glad to hear that, my darling." He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

I sighed. "Are quests always this messy?"

Chiron shrugged his shoulders and sat back in his wheelchair-disguise thing. "Perseus Jackson's first quest was a bit more orderly, I will admit. Though, he had the advantage of being unaware of many things. He had just been at Camp a few weeks when he heard the prophecy about his quest. One of his companions was a satyr, his long-time best friend named Grover. The other was Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena."

"Huh. How did that go? What was the quest for?"

He smiled and looked at Will and Apollo. "Who wants to tell her that story?"

Will grinned, tossing a hand over Dad's mouth. "I got this. Dad's gonna make it way more dramatic than necessary."

Apollo threw up his arms, pushing my brother's hand away at the same time. "William, I'm the god of the arts! Drama is my whole thing!"

"Dad, shhhhhhh. Lemme talk. Okay. So a bunch of years ago, when I was twelve or ten or something, Percy first came to Camp. He was the weird kid, like you, but not nearly as charming."

I hummed pleasantly at that. Well, at least I had something on the greatest hero of the millennium.

Will continued. "He was kinda broody and uncomfortable because he saw his mom turn to golden sparkles. Later, he got a quest from the old Oracle saying he had to find and retrieve Zeus' lightning bolt. He and Annabeth and Grover traveled all the way to LA to enter the Underworld and try to bring back the lightning bolt from who they thought was the thief: Lord Hades." That made me wince. What kind of insane people would ever blame a _god_ for theft?!

"They were really mistaken. They ended up finding the actual lightning bolt and returning it to Zeus. The gods wanted to kill Percy because they didn't like how powerful he was and because he was the result of Poseidon breaking his oath by the Styx to not have more kids to avoid causing another World War because his kids, Zeus' kids, and Hades' kids were the main players in WWII. Poseidon hadn't had a human child in many years. Maybe a hundred or more. So they wanted to kill him, but Poseidon and a few others vouched for him, and he got to live. He found out that Luke Castellan, the son of Hermes, was the actual lightning thief, and they all lived happily ever after. Just kidding. Percy nearly got killed by a pit scorpion, and then the rest of summer was chill."

I scowled. "How come he gets it easier than I do?"

Apollo sighed. "With great power comes great struggles. Percy did start out easier, but every year came with another quest for the summer. His suffering was stretched out. Yours is condensed. Sorry, darling. But you have my help and your siblings' help, and the help of all the friends you made here."

I sighed. "...yeah. I know. I'm grateful that I have you guys. Well, I'm gonna go eat. I think my stomach lining is deteriorating already." Will snorted at my reply.

"Your _boys_ are at the Pavilion already, if I've guessed correctly. And when are you gonna fight those people you promised to fight?"

I could only hum. "Sunset, in the Arena. I'll give you guys a show." I kissed his cheek in thanks and gave Dad a hug and kiss before rushing off. I needed food, yes. But I also needed a break. And lunchtime would be that break.

Tlato and Reggie had already begun eating by the time I got to the Pavilion. I grabbed a plate for myself and sat across from them at the Ares table, where Kayda and her friends occupied the opposite end. "Hey, guys." The boys waved hello, too busy chomping away at their meal to speak.

Reggie took a ravenous bite of his sandwich and finished it before saying anything. "You have a good talk with your dad and brother and Chiron?"

"Yeah." I leaned in closer to whisper. "The Hope situation is out of hand. It's lost. It'll come back to us. We should continue with the quest."

Tlatoany coughed, nearly choking on whatever was in his mouth. "I'm sorry, what?!"

I shushed him. "Bro, we can't hope to find it before we leave tomorrow. We need to just keep moving. We don't have the time."

He grumbled and groaned, nodding eventually. "Fine. Anything else?"

"Not really. Nothing that would help the quest, anyways. You?"

Reginald grinned. "I've been helping Tlato figure out travel and other expenses for the budget for the quest. Not too hard so far."

"Wait, how do you have that figured out when we don't even know where to start?"

They stared at one another. "How did we miss that, Reginald?"

"Don't look at me, man. I was just going along with whatever you said."

I snorted. "Okay. So that's why you idiots need me. Tlato, any idea of where to start?"

He stayed silent for a few minutes, clearly wracking his brain for any clue as to a good starting point for our quest. He slouched when he got nothing. Reginald opened his mouth to make a suggestion but shut it quickly, shaking his head. I had only an inkling of an idea.

"Maybe. Um. Uh, maybe we could start with the people who took Izzy. Let's assume they work for that so-called Beast from the prophecies. They're also the same people who attacked me, and Maximus and Brandon were members. So, maybe we should ask if there are any information outposts for the army near New York City."

They nodded in agreement after taking a few minutes to think.

"But we have to be wise about how we go there. We don't know if they'll be spying on us from the start of the quest. If they're spying on us now."

I hummed. "Well. I guess that's where I come in."

Tlatoany frowned. "Please don't tell me you're back on that violent thing again."

"I was never off. But just a little tidbit. Remember I told you about the attacks on me when I was in self-exile?"

Reginald. "By those people in the forest, right?"

I nodded and watched their expressions curiously, intensely. I wanted to see how they'd react, but I also wanted to put some fear into any spies watching my interactions. I spoke as clearly as I could. "One of them tried to get handsy with me when I was asleep. Something similar happened to my mother. It ruined her. And I was not about to let harm come to me after all my days of suffering."

I could practically feel how fast Tlato's heart was beating, just from the sweat accumulating at his hairline. But I could see it too. Poor guy's chest must have been hurting. I continued slowly, carefully. "He put his hands where he shouldn't have, and I put my hand on his face, no gloves, no control."

Reginald's body indicated severe nausea, as did Tlato's. Massive dim ovals of pain hung at their lower abdomens. I only bared my teeth. "He doesn't have a functional face now. Holes where the orifices are, yes. But no eyes. No nose. No lips. I ruined him." My gut told me to turn my head and look forward over the edge of the water of the bay nearby. I focused on something I couldn't see and repeated my words. "I took away his face because he took away my sense of safety. Imagine what I'd do to anyone who tries to hurt my loved ones."

I paused for dramatic effect. "Or don't, if you're faint of heart. My flaw isn't loyalty. I'm not Perseus Jackson. I'm Anusha Rajachari, and my flaw is pride. Hubris. I know that I am the most powerful person in Camp, except my dad. I know I can take down anyone. Yeas, I am proud. It'll be the death of me, but I'll drag down with me anyone else who tries to destroy those I love."

The corners of my lips pulled up in an unfamiliar way. Reginald leapt out of his seat to sit beside me and whisper, "Did that really happen, or were you lying?"

I could only snort in response. I whispered back, "It was a lie. Convinced you, though, didn't I? That's one of my greatest talents. I can lie so well, no one would even know. Because I hid my emotions from my own mother, anyone who's ever met me has never been able to tell that I'm lying if I don't tell them first."

Tlatoany huffed. "Now that makes no sense. How is a daughter of the god of truth such a good liar?"

I rolled my eyes. "Just because my dad represents truth doesn't mean he can never lie. He's lied plenty, especially with prophecies. Nobody cares because, in the end, his lies were for the benefit of everyone and everything. I'm not that good. My lies are to protect myself or my friends. I lie for advantage, and I'm not ashamed of that."

I paused. "I'd lie for anything. If it means getting ahead of people more powerful than me, then yeah. I'd happily lie."

Reginald frowned. "But that's not right."

I stared at him. "Is it right that most of my hometown is so poor that the honor of attending community college is similar to the middle class's perceived honor of attending an Ivy League? Is it right that the companies who built HQs in my city get to keep all their wealth in some other state while my people basically have to struggle for survival on the daily? No. It's not. So yes. I will lie to gain an advantage. And I'll still help my people. I won't give a singular rat's ass about the rich, but I will give back to my community every time I get more power and influence, and then, all of my people will get to be happy and not worry about whether there'll be enough money in their bank accounts for food the next morning."

Tlatoany groaned. "You are simultaneously so good and so bad. This is weird." I shrugged.

"Not gonna apologize for that either."

"Asshole."

"Yep."

Reginald frowned. "Is your community really doing that badly?"

I sighed. "I'll show you. Gonna make a stop to see my mom after we're out of New York. You can see for yourself just how 'badly' we're doing."

Tlatoany patted my back. Reginald only breathed quietly. "I have a feeling I really won't like what I see. I might just ask my mom if we can add a new branch to the company in Chicago. We won't replace anyone or move people out. We'll probably refurbish an unused building and work from there. And hire anyone who needs work."

I smiled. "Sweet thought. But what we need isn't just jobs. It's legislation from the feds to make sure our poorest aren't taken advantage of by major corps like Wal-Mart and stuff. They've got so much power and influence and really hurt workers. Your mom's company is probably fine, but the minimum wage isn't well-enforced in other corporates. It should be higher. And the physical condition of our home is trash. No funding is used for infrastructure. Or that's how it seems. Half of it goes to policing, and all those idiots do is kill our people. They're useless."

Tlatoany rubbed his chin. "Have you considered speaking with a government official in your home?"

I scowled. "American politicians are the lap-warmers and bitches of corporations and industry. They don't know how to help us, and they don't care. I had considered it, but I'm still on VISA right now. Can't afford to mess with the gov if they decide I'm trouble."

Reginald hummed. "I thought you'd be valid for citizenship. You were born on the plane, right?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't a US-based airline. Doesn't count, I think."

"Still, is there nothing you could do to help?"

I sighed. "It's admirable that you guys are trying to help me help my people. But the only way I can really get ahead is to lie about specific things and gain an advantage in a system that hates me. There's nothing else I can do. Anyways, onto other things. What have you two packed for the quest?"

Tlatoany shrugged. "A few sets of clothes, first aid kit, medications, fire-starter stuff, some basic Camping items, a small magic blanket made by Cabin Nine, and a few other things that were on my list. Why? Haven't you packed yet?"

I gave him an unimpressed look. He laughed sheepishly. "Right. Forgot. Sorry."

I frowned and looked at my hands. "Why would you need first aid when I'm right here?"

Reggie snickered. "She's got a point, dude."

"What if you're absolutely unconscious and can't heal us?" my best friend retorted. Well, he had a point.

"Touché, fancy man."

"Do not ever refer to me as 'fancy man', sunshine."

I snorted. "That applies to my siblings. Not me."

With a pout, our son of Hermes whined, "But we need a cute nickname for you!"

With a smack to my upper back, Apollo plopped down beside me. "How about Travesti?"

"Uhhhhh…?" I stared at him, trying to remember my Ancient Greek lessons with Malcolm. "Tra-vesti…wait, crossdresser? Dad, everyone wears jeans and stuff now. I wouldn't be considered a crossdresser by anyone's standards."

The sun god rolled his eyes. "It's a nod to your predecessor of sorts. Epipole dressed as a man, and you're carrying her legacy."

I nodded slowly. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, okay. Yeah, that makes sense."

Reginald cooed. "Awwwwww, that's so cute! I love it!" He and Apollo high-fived, grinning at one another. "You're a genius, Mr. Apollo, sir!"

Dad snickered and waved his hand. "No need for all that. Just Apollo is fine. Lord Apollo would be preferred, but it's not necessary. So, you kids ready for the quest?"

"Dad, you already asked me that." He tossed a hand over my mouth.

"I was asking the boys, little mouse."

Tlatoany grinned. "That's way cuter than Travesti."

"Why do I need a nickname? Isn't Anu enough?"

Reginald rolled his eyes. "You call me 'Pretty Boy' and call Tlato 'Fancy Man', which is boring. And since you've decided to do that to us, you're getting a nickname too, mouse."

I rolled my eyes in response. "Just call me Jerry, why don't you."

"Great idea!" I groaned at my newest friend's excited shout.

"I hate you sometimes." He grinned and moved closer to squish me into a hug.

"Impossible! You just met me!" Tlato and I shared a knowing, amused glance when we heard that.

The son of Ares commented with a grin, "Birds of a feather." I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up. Anyways, Dad, where's Maximus?"

He groaned. "Fighting with his boyfriend. Those two have been arguing since yesterday. I'm so tired of it."

"Why are you even getting involved?"

"I don't intend to, but Max calls me in for support, and I don't wanna take sides, even though I should technically be on his side."

"Want me to step in?" I wondered openly.

He shook his head. "Absolutely not. Never step into a fight between romantic partners, honey. Never a good idea," Dad advised.

I raised an eyebrow but nodded. "I'll take your word for it."

Tlato looked at me. "You still wanted to fight all those people? Will texted me."

"Why wouldn't I? It's good practice for actual monsters and fights."

He shook his head in exasperation and leaned over to pat my shoulder. "Just be careful."

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

We split apart after that. Reggie to talk to his siblings, Tlato to go speak with Maximus and his boyfriend, and I went to go pack and prepare for the quest.

Will and Naomi and the others all sat on their beds, advising me what to pack and not pack. Maximus piped in a few times too, having finished arguing with Brandon to sit and spend some time with me and the others after getting claimed yesterday.

"And remember. Your best source of water will always be trees or streams," Kiran explained carefully. I nodded.

Naomi murmured something under her breath that I couldn't understand. I asked her to speak louder, and she told me something that kinda ruined my day. "You don't smile anymore. What happened to you?"

I looked down, heart clenching at the realization that she was right. I really had stopped smiling as of recently. I don't know why, but I hadn't given even a semblance of a grin since I was brought back from Cabin Two yesterday. Will stood to walk towards me and hold my face in both hands. I had no choice but to look into his eyes.

He asked me in the softest tone I'd ever heard from him, "Sweetie…did you forget how to smile?"

I only stared at him in silence. "I don't know. My face itches when someone says something nice, like I wanna make a face of some sort, but I don't know."

One of the few siblings that hated me and my powers spoke up. "Trauma. Must have had some kind of issue with smiling when she disappeared that it damages her to do it now. But I don't know how you suddenly have more trauma than all of us do even though you've only been here like a month."

I looked at him, trying my hardest to remember his name. Tino! That's right. Tino looked at me. I don't know how I got to the next question I asked, but I somehow did. "Do you hate me?"

He snorted. "I don't not hate you."

My nose scrunched up at the triple negative. "Your grammar is atrocious."

"And so are your powers, but-" he shut up at the sight of Naomi's glowy glare.

"Sooo, what? My powers make me worthy of hate?"

He scowled. "A cabin of light and healing should never be a cabin of plague and disease."

I snorted. "Clueless bitch."

Tino retorted with "Evil shitstain!"

Will scolded both of us. I just sighed. "Whatever."

The cabin grew progressively more tense as the minutes ticked by. I finished packing fairly quickly since I didn't bring that much to begin with. I stood to go and fight the people I'd made a bet with before eating dinner. Tino stood in my way as I was getting ready to head out. I glared at him, and he jumped aside, glaring right back.

I shoved past the doorway to head to the Arena. I needed a break. Maybe fighting people would give me that break. Eleven people stood around the stage, all looking uncomfortable, weapons in hand. I sighed. "Why are you guys so awkward?"

One of them, a son of Hermes, gave me an odd smile. "Well, you kinda went AWOL and showed up in the Hera cabin really weird and mentally scarred. We just don't wanna hurt you and then have you react all angry and stuff."

Ohhhhh. Okay, so that's what it was. They didn't want me to get triggered by something and destroy them. I rolled my eyes. "I'm better now. Smiling is hard, but I do know how to fight without killing people. I'm not insane. Just emotionally and mentally scarred. All of you guys are too, according to what one of my brothers said."

The others all glanced at one another as if looking for any doubt or disagreement and nodded. "Fine. So how are we gonna do this?"

I hummed. "All at once."

One of the Nike girls raised an eyebrow. "Can you handle that? You haven't been here very long."

I snorted. "What? You scared of losing? Don't drop out now," I crooned, pulling out and twirling my drum sticks. Her face went red with embarrassment, and she growled.

"Fine! If you want a fight, I'll give you a fight!"

The boy from earlier put up a hand. "Isn't your dad gonna fight you?"

I nodded and shrugged. "He'll be here at some point. You guys just come at me. Let's see how long I can handle you guys before he jumps in," I challenged.

They encircled me, and I felt the excitement flood my veins. I was so ready.

And then they pounced.

* * *

Have any of you ever fought lions or wolves? Or any wild animals? No? Yeah, I didn't expect you to. But that's what it was like when the group lunged at me. Like being attacked by wild animals. Greeks fight like lions. Individual attacks, but equally powerful. (For your information, Romans fight like wolves. Group efforts where each person's loyalty to the majority can make or break a battle. Makes sense though, with Rome's history with the animal.)

But I loved it. Oh, I loved it. Fighting felt so natural to me. Like dancing is for some people or how swimming is to doggos.

I never wanted to stop, but I had to, for air. It's hard to fight constantly with no break. Now I know that in real combat, there's some time before and after moves to get a breath, but that doesn't prove true for training in Camp.

At one point during the sparring session, I could feel Tlato and Reggie's eyes on me. I really wanted to give them a smile and a wink (why? Because I can, and because I like being a smug bitch), but my face just wouldn't move that way. I didn't mind. I locked eyes with them when I was taking a pause for breath while the others regrouped after I defeated two of the eleven, and I could see the pride in the boys' eyes. They grinned, and Reginald shouted praise for me as I stood and downed half of my water bottle in one go.

I only winked and got back to work whooping people. It was fun!

At the end of the fight, I remember being so exhausted I wanted to sleep for a century, but Tlato just smirked and walked over to ruffle my hair. "Best fighting I've seen from you since you came here. Well done." I merely shrugged and punched his arm.

"Just used what you and Nico taught me. A student is only as good as their teacher's efforts." He chuckled and pressed his right cheek to mine, and my body couldn't help but lean into him. That was what I appreciated most about my best friend. No matter what happened, no matter what I endured, I was always able to come back home to him. He was my home.

And to be honest, he still is.

Reggie sprinted over (not at his actual superhuman speed, but at a normal speed that wouldn't break our bones upon contact) and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. I guess I didn't escape skeletal damage, after all. He giggled and grinned, kissing my cheeks. "That was the coolest thing I've seen you do. Like, even cooler than when you helped Tlato's brother teach that class where Tlato almost died." I wanted to laugh at how casually he said that. I simply nodded and pecked his cheek.

"Thanks, bud." After patting his back, I stood up straight.

My spidey-senses were tingling. My hypothesis: Dad just arrived. My head slowly spun around to look over my shoulder, and I saw him there, twirling his golden sword fluidly. My hypothesis was correct.

"But this fight isn't over until my dad and I are done fighting." The boys scurried away to join the Campers I'd just fought, some of whom were sporting several injuries and muscle damage after I threw them into one another. Dad smirked and waved hello with his blade. I only hummed and waved back.

We approached one another, stopping when five meters of space separated us. Dad and I began circling one another, moving around our respective weapons to get ready. He snapped his fingers and created a golden dome around us that gave people five feet of space from the walls of the arena. This was to make sure we didn't end up hurting anyone with the plagues he knew we'd use.

Dad smirked and hummed. "It seems like your buddies are already fawning over you after that first part of the fight."

I shrugged. "Credit where credit is due. I owe my fighting ability to Tlato. He's the reason I'm even capable of holding a sword without dropping it. But yeah. I've gotten pretty good, I'd say." My face itched again, yearning to pull itself into a different expression. "But he doesn't get total credit. I put in a lot of work. A lot of practice. And I learned to use my powers and strengths with no help from anyone. My instincts guide me, and I'm stronger for it."

Apollo laughed and shrugged. "Perhaps, sweetheart, but your pride is what will bring you down. You should be more afraid and cautious. Too much confidence does no one any good."

We stopped and got into our fighting stances. I tried to explain myself as clearly as I could. "I'm the first plague-bringer in close to a millennium. I've seen more than some people here have. I have experiences and tragedies and issues of my own that differ from other people. But I know I'm capable of many great things. And I have to have that faith in myself because if I don't, how can I hope to help the people I love? I need to be proud to help other people find pride in themselves."

I winked and let one corner of my mouth flicker up in a weird smile. "And besides, I'm me. Why shouldn't I have pride? I'm fucking awesome."

Dad snickered and nodded his head, clapping his hands together. "Alright, fair enough. But enough words. Prove to me that you're worthy of your pride." My eyes narrowed. What a good challenge.

Each of us tried to analyze the other, looking for weak spots or openings. I saw Dad had his legs a little too far apart and his top half bent forward. There was my opening. And I don't know what he saw, but he lunged first, coming at me high and strong. I leapt forward, sliding under him to jump back up and stab him in the back in the half a second I had before he turned to slash at me with his sword.

I blocked with both knives, trying to wheedle one out from the defense to try and get him in the arm so I could slip away and look for a new way to land a hit. He rushed at me again before I was ready, but I let him get as close as possible before C-stepping behind him and slashing at his lower legs and upper quads. Dad let out a hiss of shock before spinning around to face me.

"Good one."

I just snorted. "That all you got?" He grinned, and we kept going. It took Will yelling at Dad that he shouldn't be fighting me to make us stop for the day. But the great thing was that the fight ended with my knives at his throat. Of course, he was about to disarm me, but the whole thing got called off before he got a chance.

Hums and sighs, I was enjoying the hugs from Tlatoany and Reginald who grabbed me for affection after the fight. Only Reggie started fussing and worrying about my wounds. Tlato just kissed my cheek and pressed our foreheads together. Oh, it was so soft. I let him hold my face in both hands and melted into him. I felt at home. This was where I was meant to be, getting fussed over and loved by the two people who knew me better than anyone else. (Well, eventually, they did.)

After we split apart, Dad smirked at me and leaned down to whisper when I came at him for a hug, "Are those wedding bells in the distance?" He laughed when I punched his arm.

I headed to the showers after healing all the people I'd fought and made sure I was squeaky clean before making my way to arts and crafts. Emilia and I spent the hour chattering away about absolutely nothing. I wasn't very facially expressive, but she made enough faces for the both of us. I finished the scarf I had begun making earlier in the summer, and I sighed, hugging it to my chest.

Emilia smiled at me from where she was carving something out of a block of wood using a little knife. "Who are you gonna give it to?"

"I dunno." My heart felt so light at the thought of gifting this to someone. "But I know I want them to have made me better in some way. I want the person I give this to to be someone who influences me in a good way."

She giggled and snorted. "You're such a romantic."

I rolled my eyes. "Says the girl trying to woo me every two days."

Emilia pointed her knife at me like it was her finger. "Touché, Travestí."

We snorted and continued working on our projects until the hour was over. Emilia walked with me to my next class, Ancient Greek with Malcolm. "Hey, um, Anu?"

I glanced up at her in acknowledgement. "Hmm?"

Her face was oddly red, not from the wind or from sickness, but something else. I raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "You're leaving for the quest tomorrow, right?" I don't know why she was asking me that. It was kind of common knowledge at that point. But not wanting to be mean, I just said yes.

One of my first friends at Camp looked at me nervously and asked in a quaking voice I never ever heard come out of her mouth, "Can-can I meet you today? After dinner? At the Apollo cabin?"

Unsure of what she wanted, I nodded. "Sure. Is there something you need help with?"

She frowned and tapped her lips thoughtfully. "I dunno. Maybe. But um," her face flushed deep pink again. "Make sure no one else is around when we talk. It's something private. You have to hear it from me."

At this point, I was pretty confused, but I went with it. I had plenty of secrets nobody knew about. I figured some others had secrets that they did want to tell people.

"Uh, sure. That's fine. Everyone else will be at the Campfire, but those idiots are gonna want me to get on percussion again, so I'll let Will know that-"

"No!" I stared at her after the outburst. Her hands were outstretched, as if to grab me. She blushed again. "Sorry. Sorry, it's just. It's really private."

I frowned but nodded. "Okay. That's fine. In that case, just meet me there as soon as you can after the Campfire. I'll try to get there quickly." She agreed and hurried off before we even reached the Amphitheater. I shrugged and made my way to class. No point in getting late to the last lesson for the day when I had nothing else going on.

Malcolm waved and smiled at me when I joined the group, sitting down on the first bench closest to him. "Hey, man."

I nodded hello. "Hey, Malcolm." I could feel my lips itching to move upwards again. The word man felt so good in my ears. I loved hearing it, especially when people were referring to me. I didn't know what that meant, that itch in my lips, but I liked being called man.

"Ready for class?" My shoulders moved up and down in response to his question.

"So long as I don't have to do things beyond my level of understanding, yeah." He chuckled at my response and nodded. "Hey, Malcolm? What is Percy Jackson like?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Why do you ask?" A few of the other Campers had turned to look at me when I asked about the great hero.

I sighed. "I have no idea how this quest is gonna go. I don't even know if we'll all make it through. I guess I wanna hear about someone else's experience with quests to feel better about this one. Gods know my summer has been more chaotic than his when he was 12."

Malcolm paused and nodded. "Fair enough. I guess we can have some story-time today. Alright, everyone gather down here near the front. We'll do today's lesson as a story. I hope you guys have kept up and practiced. We're gonna still do work today." The others stepped down and sat near the front two benches, notepads and pencils in hand but faces much more relaxed. I think they were just glad that they didn't have to do the usual grueling work for today.

We got settled, and then Malcolm started the stories. With each passing moment of the tales, I felt kind of less impressed with Percy Jackson. People always called him the greatest demigod of the century, but I appreciated the people around him more than him himself. Maybe it's my ego, but I thought he kinda sucked, in a way. Almost all of his successes were because of his loved ones, in one way or another. Indirect, inspiration, however. The successes weren't all his own. He owed his powers to his father, frankly. Though, I greatly admired his creativity in battle. I really wanted to know how to recreate that for myself.

"Where's Percy now? He seems to love Camp so much, but he isn't even here," I wondered aloud.

"Well, most demigods don't stay here, Anu. People want to settle, to have normal lives. And so did he. He and Annabeth moved to New Rome in California and have been going to college there." Malcolm seemed eager to move onto the next topic after answering.

I frowned at that. "I can't relate, personally. While this whole mess with the quest kinda stresses me out, it's better than normal life."

One of the Aphrodite kids looked at me weirdly from my left side. She raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What? How?"

I took a breath. "I live in a pretty bad part of Chicago. Or, I used to. The people there really struggle, and have no way to climb up the social ladder. No help. Nothing. The cops make everything worse. The gangs are full of selfish idiots. The crime rates are…traumatizing. And the infrastructure? Almost nonexistent. And I'm still on a Visa, so I can't help anyone in a way that matters, which involves fighting the feds. I'd just get myself into more trouble than I can risk. Yeah, I'd say Camp Half-Blood's stresses are better than that."

The Demeter boy sitting to my right huffed. "So almost dying on the daily is better than normal life? Sure."

I glared right into his eyes. "Okay, asshole. Riddle me this. Would you rather live a short life full of joy and die quickly than live a long life full of suffering and disease and pain?" He swallowed, probably his words.

"Uhhhh…"

"There's no one here that understands better than me that death is better than disease. And frankly, my city is dealing with a socio-economic pre-existing condition if I've ever seen one," I retorted.

Malcolm gave me a look, and I sighed, apologizing under my breath. The lesson continued. At the end, I packed up my things and planned to rush off before the Aphrodite girl from earlier walked over to me. Not looking at her, I asked quickly, "Is there something you need from me?"

She smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. Awkward from the contact, I stood up straight to look her in the face. "I know you're stressed about the quest. If you ever need any advice or planning, just try to think of what Percy would do. He's pretty good with all this hero stuff. I mean, he is the savior of Olympus."

My jaw clenched before I could stop it. "Yeah, sure. Thanks for the suggestion." I left as soon as I could.

On my way to dinner, I met up with some of my old Hermes buddies. Connor was among them, joking around and laughing. But to my great disappointment, Reggie was not a part of that crowd. Still, I hung out with them and we headed to the Pavilion together. While walking, a few of them kept dropping advice about what Percy did on his quests and how that could help me on mine. I thanked them for the advice through gritted teeth. This was REALLY getting on my nerves.

Sure, maybe they were just being nice. I mean, Percy is an amazing hero and super fascinating to learn about. But he is not the end-all-be-all for every demigod out there. And I hated that people kept on saying that I should try and emulate his behavior in the quest I had to go on.

I split off from the group to find my siblings and drop my stuff off with them. Kind of a bad decision considering how much poetry I'd been writing since I met Dad that I didn't want them to read, but too late to change that now.

My feet trudged all the way to the Ares table, where I greeted Sherman, Arthur, Mark, and Kayda. Tlato and the others hadn't arrived yet. One of his sisters said hello and spoke to me for a bit. She was this really pretty brunette with dark skin, beautiful braided hair with streaks of red and purple in it, and the most startling brown eyes. She winked playfully when Tlato ran over and wrapped me up in a hug. I tried to ignore the heat in my face and returned the embrace.

"You good, buddy?"

He shrugged and pulled back, staring at my face with deep intent and deliberation. "I think so." With a kiss to my cheek, he asked that I meet him and Reggie at the beach after the Campfire. I shook my head.

"Emilia asked me to meet her then at the Apollo cabin. Too much at once, buddy. How about before the Campfire?" With a begrudging sigh, Tlatoany nodded, smiling as he pushed me towards the Hermes table. "Okay, see you later, ya big meanie." He laughed as I strolled away.

I could hear the other Ares kids making fun of him for something, but I was too happy about the hug to care. Reginald was already sitting at the table when his other brothers, including Connor, dropped by. He grinned and pulled me into a hug after I walked closer to him. "Tlato told you about the meeting?" he probed.

"Mmhm. Kinda random, I feel like, but whatever. You doin' okay?" No idea why, but my brain told me I had to ask him that.

He sighed, rubbing my hands with his and pressing his head to my shoulder. I leaned my cheek against his hair. "I just miss her so much." My heart clenched, and I nodded, pulling him closer for a proper hug.

"We'll find her. I swear on my life. We'll get her back here safe and sound." Reginald smiled softly and kissed my other cheek.

"Go get dinner. You're jittering from hunger." With another hug and another smile from him, I hurried back to my table to say hello to my siblings.

I was eating my food, all happy and stupid. I was just excited about carbs. I love carbs. They're just so pleasant! Naomi was being ADORABLE as usual, and Will was being all cuddly with Dad, bragging about Nico, who still hadn't returned. And then. That asshole Tino suggested that I maybe ask people about Percy's quests since I've never been on a quest before. He had dropped the straw that broke the camel's back. That camel was me. My back was SHATTERED.

Really, I have no idea what color my face was that day. But I do remember the sheer fright in Tino's eyes when I jumped onto the table, avoiding people's plates and cups, and yelled loud enough to deafen one of my sisters.

"LISTEN THE FUCK UP, ALL OF YOU. I have just about **HAD IT** with people telling me I should do my quests like Percy Jackson did his. And that I should be like him. LET ME TELL YOU _RIGHT NOW._ I CAN NEVER BE PERCY JACKSON. I REFUSE TO BE LIKE PERCY JACKSON. I AM NOT HIM. I AM ANUSHA RAJACHARI. I AM THE PROUD PLAGUE-BRINGER, THE FIRST OF MY PEOPLE IN ALMOST SEVEN-HUNDRED YEARS, AND I WILL NOT BE TOLD TO LIVE UP TO THE OVERGLORIFIED TALES OF A WHITE GUY WHO WAS BELOVED BY THIS CAMP FOR ALL OF HIS MIRACULOUS VICTORIES."

Noticing my own rage, I stopped. I covered my face and closed my eyes. I needed to calm down before I decomposed everyone's food by accident. I pulled my hands away after relaxing.

A sigh and a sad look. "I understand that you guys are trying to help by giving me a good role model to keep in mind. But I don't need another role model. I have my dad. I have my friends, both here and from Chicago. I have a whole world to look up to. I can't hope to be Percy. He's the darling son of Poseidon who saved the world. I'm just fourteen and lonely and tired. I just want to do my part this summer and hopefully be able to go home to my mother if she still cares about me." I stopped any tears from reaching my eyes. "I just wanna finish this and be at peace. Can you guys give me that? Please? Okay. Thanks." And I sat down and finished my dinner in silence, trying to keep the tears of frustration at bay.

I felt warm arms around me and recognized them as Tlato and Reggie's. They held on until I could get out the crying and let me melt into them when I was unable to hold back any longer. Reggie pulled back to press a kiss to my forehead and rake his fingers through my hair. Tlato pulled back to press his cheek against mine and murmur soft promises in Spanish until I cooled down. They kissed my cheeks simultaneously and only headed back once I swore I was okay.

Apollo sighed softly, reaching a hand out to stroke my cheek. I leaned into his hand. He smiled. "I'm glad you have them."

I could only nod my head and sigh just as softly, but more out of love than sadness or pity. I didn't know what love was supposed to feel like. I wasn't sure I'd ever felt it before. But the safety and trust I felt when my best friends were there to comfort me when I was feeling all the bad things? The knowledge that they would catch me no matter how or where I fell? That was love. That was friendship, yes. I knew friendship meant being there for one another even when the world gives up on you. But that was also love to the innocent me. Love was being supported at your highs and lows, despite the lack of true understanding of who a person is at their core.

They didn't know me, just to be honest. I'd only been Tlato's friend for a few weeks and Reggie's for a few days. And I knew romance was when a person knows you better than anyone else and when you can be your true self around them. But I knew that friendship was kinda that too. Friendship was being able to be yourself without judgement or fear. But I knew what I was feeling was a new kind of love.

Those guys, I loved them differently from how most people understood romance and friendship and love in general. They were beyond that, but I was so much happier about that than I was about any other feelings I had all day.

My face itched again, but I knew it was for good reasons this time. It was because of love.

* * *

During the rest of dinner, Dad kept shooting me these really sad, nostalgic looks. I got tired of it and told him to go find his old lover again. I knew he was thinking about love too, but I was stressed as it is and knew he just missed his old partner. I felt so bad not being able to do anything while he was so wistful and melancholic. He laughed so hard when I told him to go find the one that got away that it seemed like the heartache left his heart.

After that, things were chill. Nothing big until Sherman did this whole shenanigan at the very end of the nighttime meal involving a bunch of badly painted paper roses and this serenade in song for Miranda. It was easily the cutest thing I'd ever seen, and someone told me it was for their anniversary.

She responded by growing a flower crown around his head, which looked amazing on him, actually. This really beautiful indigo flower with delicate petals and bright green leaves. Dad sniffled a little, but tossed golden rose petals on them after conjuring the petals from midair. "That's a larkspur, Anu," Will explained. "The flower of his lover Hyakinthos, the first prince of Sparta. Dad loved him, but so did Zephyrus, the god of the west wind. Things got messy, and Hyakinthos was lost. Dad and Zephyrus only recently forgave one another."

I winced. "Ouch."

Will nodded sagely. "Ouch, indeed."

Everyone left to go to the Campfire and sing-along, and I rushed off to the beach to speak with my Questing Crew. No one really bothered me much because of my loud outburst of a monologue and because they knew I'd be stressed and planning for the quest.

I found Tlato and Reggie sitting on the beach, arguing like an old married couple about something stupid. I knew it was stupid because they shut up once they saw me. I only rolled my eyes and sat down between them, leaning back against my palms, hands slowly sinking in the sand. "So what's all this about?"

Tlato flushed reddish pink and looked down. "I just wanted to hang out. I really missed you guys." Slowly, Reginald and I met eyes. With one shared glance, we jumped on our other friend and buried him in kisses and hugs, most of which came from the nerdy-named son of Hermes.

The massive-muscles demigod just groaned and laughed, wrapping both his arms around us and squishing us in a hug of his own. "That was nice. Thank you."

I shrugged and sat back once he moved his arms away. Reggie pulled our Big Boi up and smiled. "That was the cutest thing I've heard all day." He giggled, throwing his head back when the little laughs grew into roars of hilarity.

Tlato and I shared equally amused and exasperated looks while nodding along to quiet our hysterical friend. "So this was just to chill? Nothing else? No plans or brainstorming?"

My best friend shook his head. "I think we've had enough planning. I'm leading this quest. I know how to get started, but we need some rest. Some relaxation. Besides, this is gonna be our last night of real safety and protection. We should enjoy it as much as we can." That seemed like a pretty sound argument, so Reggie and I went with it, just sitting and trying to chill while each member of the trio told stories of their childhood experiences and friendships.

At the end, we got kind of bored and decided it was a good time to head to the Campfire. I knew my siblings would never let me hear the end of it if I missed the whole thing and didn't play percussion for them. Demanding, lovable idiots. Actually, that applied to my boys too.

The three of us walked down to the amphitheater together. We hugged before they hurried off to sit with their siblings as I got settled into my seat and twirled my drum sticks in a way that wouldn't turn them into Epipole's knives. The first song was something like a slow friendship ballad. I didn't need to do anything for that, just wait and hum along at specific chords to fill the harmony. The next few songs had really intense percussion that left my wrists and forearms aching. I always went a little too hard when drumming for the Campfire performances.

The last song was a surprise. Because the person singing it was Reginald. I couldn't help the faint grin that rose to my lips when he dragged Tlato from his seat and pulled him all the way down to stand beside me, and while I played through the rhythms and beats for the song, Reggie grabbed a mic and started singing this beautiful song in French. I knew what it meant in great detail, to my shock. I'd only heard French in certain movies or in school from the two kids who learned and spoke French, but I never understood it. But the song's meaning and intentions were completely clear and obvious to me.

Tlatoany's face, like usual, turned a deep crimson with embarrassment and timidity, but he relaxed when I locked eyes with him and tried to muster a grin. It made him laugh for some reason, but I didn't mind. Seeing a smile on his face made my heart feel light as a feather. He leaned down and kissed my cheek before pulling Reginald closer to us so we could kiss his cheeks too.

Some idiots wolf-whistled at us but looked away awkwardly when I shot my usual death glares at them. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Will, that it? Any other things you need me to play for?"

My brother grinned, shaking his head. He looked way too proud of himself about something. I couldn't figure out what, to my great dismay.

"Nah. That's it! But everyone, have a great night, stay safe, and keep in mind, anyone who wants to see the questers off tomorrow morning better be up early. Anusha does not fuck around with her morning schedule," he joked. I threw a pencil at his head, and Will stuck his tongue out at me. I did the same while walking backwards with the boys, who pulled me off the stage by my arms.

"Come on, asshole. Keep moving!"

"You're an asshole!" I retorted. Tlato smacked my back and kept pulling me along. Everyone laughed at my exit, but I didn't mind. Eventually, I recalled that Emilia had wanted to talk. I dug in my heels to stop the backward motion and looked at the boys. "Guys, Emilia said she wanted to talk to me in private before bed. Can I meet with you guys at the Ares cabin after that?"

Reggie groaned but nodded. Tlato just shrugged. "So long as it's before curfew, but I guess the harpies hate you enough to not try and enforce it, so I guess it's just down to you to get there before lights out." I nodded, hugging them both.

"I'll be there. I promise. I just need to do this. See you in a bit!" The two walked towards the Hermes cabin, both moving closer together with each step forward. A smile peeked out from the corner of my lips again, and I felt that lightness. I knew then. That was love. Knowing I'd be late if I just kept watching them walk and act cute, I shook my head and hurried to Cabin Seven. Emilia was already waiting there for me, standing uncomfortably near the right hand window of the wooden building. She jumped back upon seeing me, kinda like a cat.

"Hey, girl. You needed something?" I asked cautiously. I didn't know what to expect. I knew she didn't hate me or anything, but her behavior was so weird. It had been strange all day, actually.

Emilia's cheeks reddened, and I raised an eyebrow. "Um, yeah. I uh. I just. Okay, look. I really really don't know how to say this without sounding pushy or dumb or selfish or stupid or weird, so I'll just say it however I can."

What the fuck? "Uhhh, okay?"

She took a deep breath and lunged forward, taking my hands into hers. They were frighteningly cold. She looked so cold and scared and sad in her thin blue Harvard College T-shirt and black leggings. Emilia gave me the most frightened, startled look I'd ever received from her. "I-I like you. And…Look, I don't just mean in a friend way. I mean, I do. Like, I really do like you a lot like a friend but I want more than that. Not like I wanna be your wife or whatever, ummmm…" Her face paled, and my heart dropped into my chest.

"That-that's not what I meant. I know that- okay, this all sounds weird, but, I- AGH!" One of my first friends at Camp Half-Blood grabbed me by the waist and pulled me forward into a weird frontal hug that ended at the hips. My heart pounded, and the nausea set off. Emilia held my shoulders and grasped them tightly. "Anu, I really like you. Romantically. And I know we haven't known each other that long, but I just wanted to tell you. I don't know if you like me back but I thought maybe we could-"

I put my hands on her shoulders and pushed her away gently but with enough force to let her know I was feeling really trapped and uncomfortable. My face pulled into the deepest frown it had ever made. "Emilia, I- I can't just love like that. I can't even like people like that. I don't even know you!"

Her face flushed red, but this time out of frustration. "But you like Tlatoany and Reginald that way?! Reginald's only been awake for like three days! You know me better than him!"

My nausea only worsened at that. She was right, but how could I explain to her that I just didn't see her that way?! I only thought of her as a friend. Maybe a sibling or cousin. "Maybe, but I poured my fucking _life force_ into saving him from a _coma_." Her anger only worsened. I pressed both my hands to my face.

"Emilia, I knew you for a max of two weeks before I learned about my powers and went into self-exile. And we haven't spoken in so long. You don't even know me. These boys have seen me at my worst. They've suffered with and for me. You haven't been in my life like that. And I don't want to hurt you by accepting or by just being mean. But I really can't see you as more than a friend. I'm sorry."

She let out a sob, and I could only stare at the ground in disappointment and guilt. The last thing I wanted to do was make people cry. But I couldn't fake my feelings for someone else's happiness. I couldn't do that anymore. The daughter of Hermes rubbed her eyes and glanced at me through lenses of glass. "Could I- can I still give you a kiss good luck? Like a goodbye in case…things come to the worst? I don't want to have lost you on bad terms…" she murmured through whimpers. I know it sounds weird, as if she's threatening me with imaginary danger, but I knew exactly what she meant.

I hadn't been at Camp very long before the prophecies were revealed to me, and even I didn't know if I'd survive on the quest. I've never even left my own city, much less my state or time zone. This experience would either make me a hero or a tragedy, and I didn't know which was more likely.

I agreed to the kiss. I just wanted to know what it was like, but I also wanted her to part with a nice moment and not some kind of unbearable heartbreak. I really couldn't understand what she saw in me, but I decided not to question it. No point in hurting someone dealing with heartbreak. So, I let her hold just my face and lean in and press her lips to mine. I didn't know what to do on my end, so I just held her wrists in case I had to move away quickly. But I didn't feel the need to. It felt…nice. Softer than I expected, but warm and sad and salty from her tears. She pulled back grinning. I pulled back kind of dazed but calm.

"Sorry for bothering you with this the night before your quest." Emilia rubbed her eyes and nose with the back of her wrist while speaking.

I shook my head. "No worries. I'm glad you told me, and I'm really proud of you for it. I have no idea how hard that must be. Not entirely sure what about me is so likeable, but I'm sure you'll find someone better than me who can really give you the love you want. I promise." I tried to smile, but it just made her laugh, just like with Tlato. And I appreciated that.

Trying to sound petulant, I grumbled, "Nice to know that my attempts at expressing happiness are so amusing to you." She laughed harder and bent over at the waist, tears of pain now tears of hilarity.

"Anu, I have no idea what Aphrodite has in store for your romantic future, but I pity whoever has to love you. They won't be able to see your face from being made to laugh too much at the stupid shit you say all the time," she teased. I could only sigh and roll my eyes, another smile pressing past the corner of my lips.

"Thanks for the boost of confidence, Emilia. Want me to walk you back to your cabin?"

She snickered, shaking her head. "No need. I'd rather walk alone anyways." She gave me a soft smile and leaned in to kiss my cheek. "Hope that was okay. And Anu? Thanks for not being a bitch about it." While walking away, she called back to me. "One more thing! Naomi is super cute. She's the reason I even had a crush on you to begin with. Who knows? Maybe by the end of your quest, I'll have charmed her into liking me!"

I shouted back, "BET! If you get Naomi to agree to go on one date with you, I'll gift my scarf to you. How's that?"

My friend turned around and smirked, brilliant teeth bright in the night. "You're on, Travestí!"

I chuckled and hurried towards the deep red cabin to my left, sitting on the steps and greeting the children of the war god that passed by me while entering their home. Kayda hugged me on her way in, and Tlato's beautiful muscular sister with the red and purple highlights gave me a high-five before rushing inside.

The boys met me at the steps, and the three of us spoke there, trying to comfort ourselves and one another about the quest.

"I have a hard time making decisions without early planning, so I'll need to know the travel plans at least two days before we make each move. Safety, Anu, you've got that down, right?"

I nodded in response to Reginald's query. "Yeah. I can handle that. Of course, I'll need to do a lot of experimenting to figure out all the ways I can use my powers, so just stay careful in any fight where I'm active. Tlato, you need any help with the overall quest concepts and goals?"

He shook his head, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't think so. Nothing about this quest seems undoable except reaching the Beast. I need to know how to stop him, but Maximus and Brandon already gave me info on where to start. Apparently, our first stop is Pennsylvania. We'll drop by Chicago to check on Anu's mom. And we'll figure out the rest after getting there. We have no idea what to expect, so we'll prepare once we've gotten the hang of things. And for now, we move by logic. I don't wanna take any chance with emotion or gut instinct. Those have failed me so much, and I wanna know for sure that I'm making the right moves."

That seemed like a really bad plan, but I said nothing to avoid hurting him or judging his feelings. I know this contradicts my previous statement about Emilia's confession, but it's one thing to talk openly about love stuff and another thing to talk openly about quest stuff. Tlato had been here the longest. I trusted him to guide us through everything safely, and I knew he would do things the right way, the methodical way, something I learned to appreciate with my time as Nico's student.

"Whatever you say, big guy. We ready, then? We're good for tomorrow?" I asked. The boys glanced at one another and nodded. "Good. Now, you guys get some rest. We'll be up early, and I don't want you two losing sleep for no reason." Having confirmed our plans, we hugged one another and separated again, leaving each other with kisses and gentle touches of cheeks and night-softened smiles. Mine were more like grimaces that were trying too hard to look cool, but, oh well. Whatever.

As I climbed into bed that day, Dad stayed with me the entire time, letting me place my head in his lap as he stayed up the whole night to read from some old Ancient Greek book full of love poems. That, I appreciated greatly. He stroked my hair from the moment I passed out to the moment my eyes opened the next morning, and we went through my sunrise routine together, silent but soft. It was so peaceful.

And when I began doing yoga again on my hill, I finally felt that smile reach my face again. Dad kissed my forehead and hugged me tightly. I held on just as tightly, afraid to let go of him and realize that I'd be so far from Camp's safety and comfort and familiarity.

We walked down the hill, only to find Tlatoany and Reginald waiting for us. Dad placed a hand on my shoulder when I opened my mouth to ask what they were doing there. "I called them here. Do not worry. I have some gifts for you three. More like tools, actually. Very useful, powerful tools."

I bounced on the balls of my feet. NEW SHINY THINGS FROM MY GODLY DAD? OF COURSE I WAS EXCITED!

But here's the catch: the things we got from him were…weird.


	17. Interruption 2

I woke with a start. I sat up slowly, stretching my cramped limbs to try and free them of the discomfort. I didn't even remember falling asleep. Where was I?

My eyes cracked open finally and took in the scene before me. And I smiled.

Nighttime on Anusha's hill.

Flowers and grass danced below as the wind flowed over the earth. The stars were high and warm today, sparkling like fairy lights on a black velvet blanket. I was high up enough that the light pollution from Camp didn't affect the visibility of the night sky. I yawned and rubbed my eyes to clear them one more time.

"Took you long enough, my dear," joked a woman's voice. I screamed in shock and fell backward, catching myself before I hit my head on the base of the statue behind me.

"Who's there?!" I yelled, calling the green smoke of plague to my hands to hold off any possible attacker.

A woman wearing a chiton under Greek armor stepped forward from behind the statue and stood in front of me, a soft smile on her lips. She removed her red-tipped helmet and stood tall, letting her hair flow freely in the wind. The woman chuckled. "Put that away. I'm not here to hurt you." Only after she spoke again did I notice how her voice echoed even though there was little space between us. And her outline was fuzzy, almost unnoticeable. She seemed like she was shifting between this reality and another with how glowy and nearly transparent she appeared.

"You aren't?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "No. I am here to guide you."

I frowned. "My dad didn't say anything about that. You look nothing like my sister."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Obviously. No, I am not your sister. I am her namesake."

Uhhhh.

"Anusha means light or something. And it's an Indian name. You don't look Indian."

She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Just like your sister. Child, I am Epipole of Carystus. Your sister was called Travestí for most of her life because she chose to carry on my legacy. She used my knives and made them a family heirloom for generations of plague-bringers after her."

I stared. "You're supposed to be dead, though!"

She grinned. "Heroes aren't bound by the same laws of humanity as normal humans or demigods. Besides, this was Tlatoany Castillo's dying wish."

"Wait, what?"

Epipole hummed. "May I sit with you?" Nodding, I scooted over to give her space. She continued her explanation. "In her first summer at this camp, Anusha dealt with much suffering. Her mother stopped speaking to her, she had to deal with the embarrassment and fear of her powers, and she couldn't eat any real food for two weeks. After she got a handle on her abilities, she then attempted to bring Reginald leBlanc out of a coma. Things settled a bit, but someone tried to kill her best friend Tlatoany. She didn't take it lightly. You'll read about the event in the book she wrote for you and your other plague-bringing siblings. She lost her sense of right and wrong because of the murder attempt. Tlatoany asked that I be allowed to leave the Underworld to guide and protect you just like Zelos, her maternal grandfather, guided and protected her during her first quest."

I looked down. "Tlatoany asked for this?"

Epipole nodded, smiling softly. "Quite a kind young man. He feared her anger during that time. She was so hateful towards the person who tried to kill him. He wanted to ensure that the loved ones of her descendants never had to deal with that kind of fright. It's painful to be so hurt and angry."

It took a moment for me to understand, but Epipole just kept silent before speaking again. "She outlived them, you know. Anusha. Reginald died first. His speed abilities caused him many chronic issues, and he passed in his sleep. Tlatoany lived to the ripe age of ninety but eventually died due to sickness. Anusha was unable to heal him, and that haunted her until she died. I think it was just his time. Anusha lived to be one hundred and three years old when she died."

I gaped. "No way!" That surprised me. No one ever talks about the heroes after they get old (because they usually don't, which is sad), so this seemed crazy to me. "A hundred and three? Even though her powers were about disease and suffering?"

She smirked. "That which you can cause, you can also undo. She kept herself alive so she could finish the book and feel like she did everything she wanted to do in life."

I bit my lip. "How'd she die?"

Epipole hummed. "Peacefully. She brought her child and Apollo and her other living relatives to Delos and died in her father's arms, cradling her child in her own."

I nearly blacked out. No one said ANYTHING about her having a child!

The heroine chuckled. "Calm yourself, little one. She didn't tell anyone except her half-siblings from Camp about her baby. It's not odd that you don't know."

"I-Is her child still alive?"

"Mmhm. Indeed. Alive and healthy. She's turning one hundred years old next week."

My heart thundered in my chest, and hope lit inside me like a bonfire. "I need to meet her!"

She hummed. "Ask your father. Apollo will certainly take you to her. But I'm not sure how willing she would be to meet you. The girl resented her mother for not telling anyone of her existence when I saw her fifty years ago, but she may have changed." That was not okay. Maybe it was just my personal bias, but I was upset that Anusha's only daughter resented her mom. Why would anyone resent the reason they exist?

"Of course, maybe it was because people only knew her as the daughter of the plague-bringer, but Anusha never let people say that around her. She made sure everyone knew her baby's name."

A weird thought popped into my head then. "So, Anusha, Tlatoany, and Reginald were all together in one relationship, right?"

Epipole raised a curious eyebrow. "Yes."

"And they did do the adult things, right?"

She snorted. "Yes."

"Then who was the dad of Anusha's baby? Because there are two men in that relationship."

Epipole laughed hard, tossing her head back. "Oh goodness. Tlatoany was the father. The conception was something of an accident in early adulthood. I believe Anusha was in her early twenties. The boys knew she had never planned on having kids. She made that clear to them early on. But when she discovered she was pregnant, she claimed it as her responsibility. Even if she didn't want to go through with it, she knew it was important. Tlatoany had no living relatives left, and it was important to her that his bloodline lived on. She herself had cousins who were married with kids, and so did Reginald. But Tlatoany had no one, and she felt it was her duty to make sure the pregnancy continued to give him that opportunity and maintain his bloodline. The pregnancy itself was a huge stress for the three of them. I do not believe they were naturally suited to being good parents. But they learned and tried their best, and their daughter grew up to be a wonderful woman. And yes. Reginald also raised her. It was a three-person effort."

I grinned. "That's kinda cute."

She smirked. "Just make sure you don't do any 'adult things' this early in life."

My face heated up as if I'd just eaten a chili pepper. "I am fourteen, and I don't like adult things! You don't need to advise against it." She snickered and patted my back.

"Of course, of course. Forgive me for the mistake, little one," the heroine teased with a grin.

I looked away and sighed. "Besides. Not really that easy to find love when I don't know if I even want it."

She hummed and nodded. "Understandable. Valid. Is this from fear of the unknown? Residual trauma or discomfort from past experiences? Or from actual lack of attraction? Because all three are fine if those apply to you."

I gazed at her carefully, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you just a guide?"

Epipole wrapped an arm around me gently. "My dear, think of me as a relative or lifelong friend. I'm here to help you through life, and that means all of it. Whether it's relationships with friends, issues with finding a career, or how to handle crises as a plague-bringer."

I smiled softly. "Thank you. And how are you so updated with modern knowledge? I thought you died a really really long time ago."

She snorted. "Your predecessor and her beloveds made sure they spent as much time as possible teaching me about the new world. And it's hard to not learn when so many people in Elysium come from all years and periods and places of human existence."

"That's cool." I looked down and spoke softly, trying to rein in my anger. "But I have a deep question for you." Epipole merely smiled. I met her eyes, trying to express as much of my confusion and upsetness as I could manage. "How could Anusha's daughter hate her? Anusha did so much for her and for everyone else. She's a hero. And her mother. How could her daughter hate the reason she exists?"

Epipole smiled more sadly. "Anusha was, to her daughter, a bigger-than-life kind of character. Since childhood, the girl idolized and adored her. Anusha wanted to be the best mother she could be because the woman who raised her was actually abusing her and wasn't her real mother. She only knew how to handle kids from that experience, and she feared becoming that woman. She avoided many things to not hurt her daughter. She avoided the child, for a few months out of sheer terror. Her darlings cared for the baby as best they could. But she figured she couldn't handle things by running away, something she learned from Reginald, and she faced the whole issue headfirst. She was active in her self-checks and parenting. And her daughter loved her dearly. It was when her daughter was in her twenties that she began resenting her. Anusha did her best, but her daughter felt like she didn't have any chance to find out who she was because everyone only knew her as 'the plague-bringer's daughter'."

I frowned. "She avoided her own kid? Yeah, that's not okay. I get why her daughter disliked her. I don't think I would love my dad if he avoided me.."

"Indeed. It is wrong. But she was afraid, and when she's fearful, she runs." The heroine hummed, chuckling to herself. "Anusha, Tlatoany, and Reginald fought and argued for several years because their daughter preferred her fathers to her mother because she didn't feel overshadowed by her fathers. Anusha was always heartbroken about this. But she died happily, knowing her daughter was the greatest woman she had ever met."

"What?" This was weird to hear. I really couldn't understand what was going on in this story.

Epipole nodded, rolling her eyes. "I do think the fighting was petty and childish, but those three were navigating new ground. They figured it out eventually, but the feud between mother and daughter lasted so many years. Nearly thirty." I choked on my spit. "Now, that was on and off, but it still was thirty years before they got along again, I think. I feared what would happen between the girls, but Anusha loved her daughter more than life when she passed. And it was her daughter that shed as many tears as Apollo upon her death. Apollo mourned with his grandchild, mourned the loss of his eldest plague-bringer to date."

I had to take a breath and then speak. This was so much to hear. "You said she died with her daughter in her arms, right?"

She nodded.

"Then they got along. I think they did." I wanted to think they did. But actions can be just as deceiving as words or appearances. After many minutes of silence, I asked the one question that plagued me (pun intended!) since I learned about Anusha. "Why do they always call her _the_ plague-bringer? There were others before her, so why do people act like she's the first one or the most important one?"

My guide and mentor stiffened, hands wringing together. She sighed and let out a slow exhale. "It's not a good story, dear. But I won't sweeten it for you. It's because the ones before her were killed. Savagely."

My heart froze. "What?"

Epipole's face turned to steel in the starlight. "Anusha was the first plague-bringer to be born in nearly seven hundred years. The ones before her lived until the Black Death began. People found out the plague-bringers were the source of it and slaughtered all of them. Any time one of them discovered their powers, they would die. The youngest was six. The oldest was eighteen. No plague-bringer lived over the age of eighteen. All of them were gone by the time the Black Death began spreading."

I felt the bile rise in my throat. My stomach churned. I dared to ask another question. "Why didn't anyone stop this?"

She laughed humorlessly, darkness and depression filling her tone. She didn't even look at me when saying this. "Who would? Olympus let this happen."

A sob forced its way out of my throat. "And Apollo…?" I amended my words. "And my dad?"

The woman took a calming breath of air, which seemed unnecessary. Why would a ghost need to breathe? "He suffered. He inspired the Renaissance out of pain. As an attempt to heal after all of his depression."

Tears streamed down my cheeks before I could stop them. "How could they do this to him?"

She whispered back, "Because they chose humanity over his happiness and his children."

I cried in the silence of her heartache, and I didn't know what to do with myself. I wiped away my tears like I read Anusha would do. It did make me feel better. My eyes wandered up to the sky. The same sky she watched every night on her quests, during her rests, in her joy and sadness and peace. "Did Olympus ever try to kill her?"

Epipole's dim smile became a proud grin. "Once."

Her excited expression confused me. "Uhhh, why are you so happy about that?"

She laughed. "Not happiness. Arrogant pride. I loved what she did that day."

My interest was piqued. "What happened, exactly?"

Epipole nodded. "Of course, you'll read about it in the book, but I'll tell it to you shortly. They wanted to accuse her of a crime she didn't commit. She gave them an ultimatum."

I gaped.

"No way."

"Yes way." Epipole smirked. "She told them that if they tried to smite her right there in the throne room, her death would kill Tlatoany and Reginald who were right beside her. And if they tried to smite her on Earth, her death would cause a global epidemic bigger than the combination of all the plagues of human history. Because they allowed humans to kill off the previous plague-bringers, none of them had any idea if it was accurate or not. So, out of begrudging fear, they let her go."

I snickered through the tears. "Beautiful. Poetic justice."

"Truly. Well, I'd better leave for now. Sunlight is not my friend, even if it is yours. I'll see you again soon, little mouse." And with that, she disappeared into the night, leaving me at the foot of my dead sister's statue, her autobiography/memoir laid beside me. I looked up at her form and sighed. "Please tell me you were good to Apollo."

It said nothing, obviously, because it's marble and steel and paint, but I felt a familiar warmth wash over me. And I cried again. Because I knew exactly what it was. I knew exactly what had happened. Anusha was still with me. She had seen me as a baby. She saw me grow up. And she was with me now, if not physically, at least emotionally or spiritually. And that made me cry. My sister had never left me, even though I never saw her.

How could fate be so cruel? It took her from me before I could meet her, and now, it prevents me from ever meeting her, assuming she was in the Underworld.

But one thing was clear to me when I looked up at her form, the shadow of the statue falling away as the morning sun kissed its head and face slowly. Anusha was in my life now. She was a part of me that wouldn't leave. And if I wanted to do good in my life, I had to keep her close to my heart. I had to let her legacy live on, just like she let Epipole's legacy live on in her.


	18. Reggie Has Weird-Ass Friends

"Dad…you know I love you. Right?"

He tilted his head to the side and nodded, smiling awkwardly. "Yeah." I grinned faintly, he looked so much like a puppy.

I pushed down the smile and rubbed my face, rubbing my forehead. "So, truthfully, in all honesty, what in the actual hell is this?"

Dad tossed his head back and laughed hard, throwing a hand over his eyes. Out of sheer amusement, he started snorting and snickering. His face started turning a deep red despite the dark skin he apparently chose for today, neither of which I realized was possible for normal humans. You can't choose your skin tone and which ethnicity you belong to, and usually, you can't blush under dark skin.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple. "I can't believe I keep forgetting you're not used to ANY of this."

"Could you just tell me what's going on?"

He smiled and rubbed my back. "So, usually, when campers go on quests, their godly parents or the head counselors will give them some kind of magical item to help them on the journey. The kids usually don't know how it'll help them, but it's up to the questers to be creative in their use of the item."

I raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Okay. So you decided to give us a sheet of paper?"

Reginald was clearly trying to avoid falling into hysterics at my question, and Tlato just had his face in both hands, like _Why would anyone subject me to this situation?_

Dad kissed my cheeks and chuckled. "Oh, silly child," he cooed while tossing his long dark braids back behind his shoulder, "Maybe read the book before judging it." I took the weird metaphorical advice of his and looked over the letter.

I read it aloud to my two friends. The paper felt very weird and fancy in my hands. Almost too strong and too delicate at the same time. "_I, Apollo, god of the Sun's light, god of the arts, god of the protection of youths, god of archery, god of healing, god of civil order, god of cities, and god of plague, hereby declare that those who claim to be under my protection and who possess this letter are to be given all they need from whoever is shown this letter. This applies to all beings, monstrous, mortal, or otherwise. Any violation of this expectation will be met with swift and brutal divine retribution from yours truly._"

My dad had stamped his golden seal right below this message, with his name written in Ancient Greek beside the seal, a sun with seven triangles around it to form the rays and a bow and quiver of arrows inside it. A laurel wreath encircled the sun, a leafy halo symbolizing his role in sports and games, as well as a symbol of his lost love, Daphne.

Still a newbie to this whole Greek mythology world, Reginald and I didn't really know what to make of this letter, but Tlatoany looked close to fainting.

He stared at my dad and just bowed really deeply. "Th-thank you so much, Lord Apollo. We really appreciate this. Thank you!"

Dad patted Tlato's shoulder and chuckled. "Stand up, my boy. No need for all that. Friends of my children are friends of mine, kind of. But thank you for your gratitude. It's nice to be loved and respected." Weird way of saying thanks for showing minimum human decency and respect for an adult, but my dad's a funky guy. I like that about him.

Tlatoany gazed at me with disbelief. "Aren't you gonna thank him?"

I rolled my eyes. "Tlato. I have to thank my dad for my own existence. What's one letter compared to me?"

He smacked his own forehead with his palm again. "I don't know if that's hubris for yourself or for your dad. You confuse me constantly."

The sun god patted Tlato's shoulder again. "Kiddo, that's a theme with the women of Anu's family. All of them are like this. They're both smarter than anyone and more confused than anyone. I don't know how I caught her mom when no one else did, but do not get on a Rajachari girl's bad side. Well, I think you already have once."

My best friend shivered in horror, imagining the day we fought, I'm pretty sure, or the time I nearly killed his to-be murderer. "Believe me, sir. I do not plan on doing that again," Tlatoany admitted.

Reginald shrugged. "So long as you don't yell at her like the last time, you'll probably be fine."

That would have been a bad choice of words around any other dad, but Apollo just nodded. "Yeah, not smart. Not sure why you would have done that, but be careful."

I tried to bring the conversation back to the quest. "Dad, anything else for us?"

He smiled and pulled out a tiny little metal box like a tin of breath mints. He handed it to Reginald. "Explore this one on your own. You'll know what it is soon. Having more than one healer is never a bad idea." I felt bad for Reggie. Dad gave me this super powerful letter with his formal seal on it, and all Reggie got was an Altoids tin.

And to Tlatoany, he gave a rectangular velvet box, kind of similar to what would contain a necklace. I poked and prodded until he showed me what was inside. I hummed. It was this beautiful gold chain with a sun pendant on the end. The pendant was a coin with another sun with seven triangles around it. The whole design was one millimeter deep in the coin, and it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. It even seemed to glow despite the bright morning light falling over Camp.

Dad smiled at him. "You'll know what this is eventually." He looked at me oddly, and I stared back at him before realizing that his gaze fell on something behind me. I turned around to try and spot what had grabbed his attention and nearly squealed my lungs out.

"DELOS! My little baby~!" I rushed forward at the snake smoothly slithering towards me, tongue flicking out as it climbed quickly up my arm and rested like a massive living scarf around my shoulders and neck. Delos bumped his snoot into my cheek, and I couldn't help but grin like a fool. I'd missed my baby so much, and now he was back! Only after a few moments did I see that Dad, Tlato, and Reggie were all grinning at me too, each with varying kinds and levels of affection.

Apollo's expression oozed with paternal affection. Tlato just looked like I gave him the world's biggest shark plushie. (Don't you dare fucking judge him. He fucking loves shark plushies.) And Reginald beamed like the sun itself, eyes bright and happy, though clearly startled by the size of my snoodle doodle baby.

"Yeah, I know. Smiles look weird on me. Hard to remember how to do them, okay?" I rolled my eyes while making this comment, and they all rolled their eyes in response.

"Yeah, right, drama queen," Will called out to me as he approached me from behind the boys. "You were all smiles until recently."

He walked over and smiled awkwardly when his eyes landed on Delos. "Honey. You know I love you. But put that snake away or give him to Dad, please?" I snorted with amusement that his statement to me mirrored my statement to our dad. I rested a hand on Dad's shoulder, and Delos, like the very good boy he is, slithered onto the sun god's shoulders and snoozed for a bit.

Will sighed in relief and hugged me, kissing the top of my head. I sighed and pressed my face into his chest.

Out of nowhere, I felt Nico rest a hand on my shoulder and leaned in to hug me from behind. It was like being squished between two trees. Unexpected, but not really unpleasant. I pulled away when the trees let me breathe, and I looked up at them. Will leaned down to whisper in my ear, "Don't forget what this quest is for. Bring Izzy back home, Anu." I squeezed his shoulder and nodded. I would never forget the reason for the quest. Not until my sister was back in Dad's arms, safe and sound.

Nico then also leaned down and whispered just as softly, maybe softer, "Don't forget your basics. And don't forget what you promised to your friends and family. Don't forget your mercy." My jaw clenched a little, but I nodded. He was right to suggest that.

Then, a couple of my other siblings rushed over, shoving Will to the side to throw themselves at me. Naomi was the first, shining brilliantly in the morning sun, to the point of nearly blinding me until I told her to maybe tone down the brightness. She apologized sheepishly and grinned, letting Maximus grab me in a hug while she dimmed the glow of her body. The kid was my height, which is fun because most of my brothers and friends are taller than me.

I ruffled his hair as he pulled away tearfully. I smiled as much as I could. "I promise I'll make everything right…everything." He nodded and smiled back, rubbing away the tears with the back of a pale, bony hand, not unlike Nico's. I didn't think to pay attention to what my siblings were wearing, but I do remember that all of them felt as warm as a fire that day.

A few of my sisters clung to me and started crying until Austin and Kayla dropped by to give me those awkward side-hugs and mess up my hair. Austin grinned and patted my back. "Just keep an eye out. Do rounds of staying awake to guard the others while they're asleep. You need any cash, Anusha?"

Reginald bounced over like a fucking gazelle and beamed, tossing an arm over my shoulders. Kayla gave him an unimpressed look and rolled her eyes. "We're good, Austin! I've got my credit card and my own bank account. I can handle all the expenses!"

I raised an amused eyebrow at him, trying to not snicker. "If this is your attempt to get me and Tlato to fall in love with you or whatever, leBlanc, it's not working." Reggie just poked my face and huffed.

"I'm being serious! I do not want to make you guys pay for shit when I can handle every expense. Not like I'd do anything else with it. What's the point of having money if you're not gonna use it?"

Tlato called out, "Too bad billionaires don't have your mentality, my friend." Reginald grinned at our friend over his shoulder and turned to me, his face bright pink.

"How in the world do you deal with his compliments?"

I smirked faintly. "My whole thing is hubris, buddy. Compliments make my world go 'round."

He sighed. "I totally forgot about that."

And then, the Hermes kids, including Emilia, and the Ares kids, including Kayda, ran up to greet us. The goodbyes were overwhelming. Sherman and Mark and I spoke for a little while about Tlato. I talked to Connor and Chris about Reggie. Once everyone had said their goodbyes, we picked up our backpacks and items and got ready to make the trek down to the long van that had brought me to Camp earlier that summer.

Emilia stopped to speak with me while everyone else was heading to the showers or back to their cabins. She smiled and gave me a tight hug. I returned it, grateful that her confession hadn't hurt our friendship. When I pulled my head back, she laid a sweet kiss to each of my cheeks and patted my shoulder.

"Stay safe, Travestí."

I smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheeks as well, though with less love and more guilt. I still worried that her heart was broken. What was I supposed to do? Not feel bad? Fuck that. Anxiety is my thing, after all. Well, one of them. "You too, trickster." We shared one more hug, and I grunted when Noah sprinted over and crashed into my legs. I knelt down to hug him properly.

He pouted and stared at me indignantly. "You better come back safe and sound."

I only chuckled and patted his cheek. "I will. I'm the most powerful demigod in Camp. What would happen to my ego if I failed? Don't you worry, buddy. I'll be back soon." Smiling proudly at me, Emilia rested a hand on Noah's shoulder and patted it reassuringly. I could see his eyes get watery as I stood. Oh, my heart burned. I couldn't believe how painful this was.

Not wanting to prolong the heartache, I walked over to my dad. He gave me a gentle stare and then coughed awkwardly when I got down on my knees and pressed my hands and forehead to the ground before his feet. I knew my friends and siblings who'd stuck around to watch us leave were staring at me like I was crazy. People don't grovel before the gods. Sometimes, if they're crazy enough, like me or Tlatoany or Reginald, people argue with them.

Dad started sniffling, and I spoke as gently as I could. "I swear by all the gods that exist in this world. I will bring Izzy back. I'll protect those demigods. I'll bring honor to the plague-bringers before and after me. You won't have to worry about losing them anymore." I pushed myself up so I could stare at him more easily.

"Even if I die, you will never lose a plague-bringer after me. I swear by the grace of Olympus."

With a flick of his fingers, Apollo willed the tears away and yanked me up into a strong hug, nearly cracking my spine, even with the bag hanging on my back. "Don't die. You can't. You won't. But don't." I smiled and nodded, leaning into his warmth. "You'll do everything right. You almost always do. You're the best of my plague-bringers. You're young, but you've made it so far, my beloved. My sweet little mouse. You can do this."

I laughed a bit. "Dad, this sounds like you're saying it for yourself." I pulled back and brought his head down so I could kiss his forehead. My smile widened. "Just stay positive for me, and you'll see just how much this plague-bringer can do."

He kissed my cheeks, and then I joined Tlato and Reggie. We clasped hands and gazed back at Camp one more time before rushing down the hill. I, like the cool girl I am, slid down the slope sideways. Reggie slipped and nearly fell over while sprinting down at his normal speed, but Tlato, who'd been walking slowly and patiently, caught him. "Weeeaaak!" I yelled at Reggie, who pouted at me again.

I could only snicker as I climbed into the van. "Hey, Argus." Argus was the transportation guy for Camp. He basically looked like my dad during the blue-eyed-blonde days, if my dad had a couple hundred extra eyes all over him. Argus nodded hello and grinned, wiggling his fingers at Delos, who recoiled and stared at him with those beautiful dark eyes. I think Argus was one of the few monstrous beings in Camp that didn't hate me. He waved to my quest-mates when they entered the vehicle.

Tlato and Reggie got in behind me, and they returned Argus' greeting. After making sure we had everything we needed, we were off. My eyes wandered to my friends, who weren't shaking for some reason. "Are you guys not nervous?"

Reggie shrugged. "Not exactly. I'm more scared about the fights, but I'll manage. As for the journey? I came to Camp alone from LA. No worries there."

Tlatoany hummed. "I don't think so. I've been here for years, went on a few little mini-adventures with Sherman and some of the Hephaestus kids. I'm not nervous. Are you?" I didn't respond. I think I was shaking too much to think about replying. "Hey, Anusha? Are you okay?" He scooted over and wrapped both arms around me, letting me panic in peace. Reginald did nothing except brush away my tears every few minutes.

Eventually, as we approached the highway, I relaxed. The two of them moved away to give me a little room. I sighed. "Thanks, guys. I'm just. I am really scared. I've never been so far from home before. And I haven't left Camp ever. I'm not used to being on the road."

Reginald leaned over and kissed my cheek sweetly while avoiding Delos' little head, and I could feel my heart speed up for no real reason. He gave me this soft grin that also seemed to make Tlato melt. "Then we'll get you used to it. Kinda have to. Now just relax. Get in your headphones. We'll handle it for now." I nodded and leaned my head against my giant friend's shoulder, smiling a bit when he slouched to give me comfort. My in-ear headphones went in, and my consciousness evaporated. The faint scent of strawberries that wafted all throughout the vehicle helped soothe my anxiety and motion sickness. I fell asleep so fast that time, in minutes or something. It was amazing, and it also never happened ever again.

* * *

By the time I woke up, we'd reached one of the Greyhound bus stations in Manhattan. Reginald smiled and thanked Argus with a tip of the head before the many-eyed man yeeted away in the strawberry van after the three of us got out, bags and belongings secured.

"Come on. I'll bring you guys someplace nice. Mom's got a bunch of little condos all over the US and lets me and the general public just hang out there and get some rest. It's usually for people who are homeless, on the run, or poor. I've come here alone plenty of times while she was in business meetings. I'll get the cab," he promised with a big smile while running off towards the road. Tlato and I waited on the sidewalk awkwardly, just rolling our eyes.

"Is it just me or is he compensating for something by taking care of all our financial needs?" I wondered aloud but quietly.

Tlato shrugged. "I think he just misses Izzy. He took care of her for quite a while. And he kept her safe until the last moments he was conscious. Can you blame him for wanting to handle shit for us?"

I sighed. "Poor guy. I didn't know the kid enough, but damn, she reminded me of myself. Such a sweetheart." A smile peeked out from my lips. "Still. Glad to know she had him to protect her. Such a little girl alone in the world? That's scary. Even if her powers are weird and startling as fuck."

"Mmhm," my buddy agreed wordlessly.

We waited in silence for Reggie to return, not wanting to scare him by wandering off somewhere else.

I honestly just wanted to go ahead and get things started by heading for wherever the boys had planned, but I had a feeling Reginald also was stalling by doing this. Maybe he was just as nervous as I was but didn't want to admit it. Then again, if he was the one planning, it made sense that he didn't want to admit to his fear.

While waiting for our friend, I stood quietly and closed my eyes, trying to practice using my powers. My little snoodle doodle snoozed on my shoulder as I focused on my powers. Maybe I could try to expand them or find a new use for them. I tried to search for every disease and pathogen and harmful microscopic creature within five feet of me. Ten. Fifteen. Twenty. Thirty. Forty. Fifty. As the radius of observation increased, so did my ability to keep track of all of them. I knew exactly what pathogen was where and how dense. I pulled it all to me, trying to get as diverse and expansive a collection in my knives as possible.

Tlato only disturbed me to let me know Reggie was coming over. I opened my eyes and he squeaked, jumping back. I couldn't help but laugh, and Tlato grinned awkwardly. "Nice to see you laugh, but why were your eyes glowing?"

I raised an eyebrow, unamused. "My eyes. Sure. Okay."

I know my powers are very colorful and glowy, but my eyes had never glowed before that point, except when I was healing Reginald with my siblings and the Ares kids.

Tlatoany just huffed, rolling his eyes. "You'll see what I mean eventually." We followed our easily-excitable friend to the cab he caught and got in, holding our backpacks on our laps.

Reggie smiled sweetly at the older white man driving the car. "Thank you, Mr. Hanz. Cedarwood Apartments, please. Just a quick drive."

The driver, Mr. Hanz, nodded. "Sure. Is that everyone?"

"Yes, sir, thank you!"

"No problem. Seatbelts, please." After noticing the startled look he gave me when he saw Delos, we did as he told us. Later on, we also understood why. The guy drove like a speed demon, despite his old age. Honestly, that just made me respect him more. Old people who fear NOTHING and just do whatever the fuck they want? Coolest people in the world.

At least, that was my opinion. The fast driving was fine for me because it eased my anxiety since I wasn't hyperfocused on every bump and shift of the car. It was lots of fun! And for Reginald who ran at the speed of light? It was nothing.

Tlatoany, on the other hand, took it all very badly. He turned the kind of green that resembled a swamp, and I tried to ease his discomfort by taking away his nausea, but it didn't help much. So, I opted to just rub his back and keep him calm while slowly removing nausea and the muscular stress in his body. Having that much tension in his neck, torso, and back would give him pains and cramps for hours on end, and that would not end well for a quester.

The car stopped in front of this massive gate, and the driver turned to Reginald, who smiled. "Pull forward a bit more, and open the left side back window. They need to see my face." The elderly man nodded his head and moved the car forward so the back left window was aligned with the window of the gatehouse of the complex.

Reginald leaned across Tlato and me to put his face near the window, and a bright-eyed young man leaned through the window of the security stop, smiling brightly. "Hello! Do you have security clearance to enter the community?" he asked Tlatoany and me, and his face paled at the sight of my snake baby. I tried to push down the rising grin. I loved seeing people get nervous about my pet. We turned and stared at Reggie, who held out an ID card of some sort, grinning sweetly at the gate guard. "Reginald leBlanc, son of Evelyn leBlanc, nice to meet you." The gate guard floundered and gaped, staring at the card with some kind of odd expression, as if he didn't think he'd ever see it in the years he'd work as a guard for this community.

"Oh my god, of course, um, absolutely, sir. Sorry for the inconvenience," he apologized shakily while returning the card to my newest friend. The guy's hands even quivered as he held the card out. I couldn't comprehend why, but Reggie grasped it and, still beaming with as much charm as was possible, tucked it into his wallet again.

I turned to stare at him as Tlato bent over at the waist, still nauseated and sick to his stomach. I sighed and rubbed his back. "_Sea mejor si salimos del coche, hm?_" He only nodded in response to my question and groaned. I turned back to Reginald. "Was that some kind of rich person superpower that I don't know about?"

He shook his head and chuckled. "No, I have my own ID and entrance cards for each of the apartments my mom owns. I have this one as a formal ID from her company. I'm only named as one of the heirs since my cousins are also eligible, and I show this as my general ID to any law enforcement or security people of a gated complex. Easier that way than to look for the specific entry card for each place and have them call my mom to confirm that I do have access."

Tlatoany and I shared a meaningful glance. He laughed lethargically when I declared, "I want rich people powers."

He leaned over and pressed his cheek to mine, and I swear I felt a little warmer than I did before. Not sure if that was because he was massive (big body and big muscles equal lots of heat production) even at that age, or if that was just me. Either way, Reginald stared at us with this weird expression on his face, eyes soft and watery with this emotion unfamiliar to me as he rested his elbow on his knee and leaned his chin on his palm.

"You guys have the most beautiful friendship I've ever seen in my life."

I could only look away when my face started getting warm again. I knew from the feeling of his arms pulling up to his face that Tlato was trying to hide from Reggie's startlingly all-knowing eyes.

Our new and beautiful dumbass of a friend just grinned so big his eyes closed and hummed, leaning back in his seat to stare dramatically out the window. Fuck him. Metaphorically.

The three of us got out of the car when the driver pulled around to that awning place thing where it's like in front of those really fancy doors and there's a giant fancy covering thingie where it's like a part of the building that keeps people dry as they walk into the hotel if they have luggage. (Why do rich people hate nature, man? And what the fuck is that structure called?)

Before we got out, Reggie told me to hide Delos somewhere because the apartment staff would freak out if they saw a snake. I told Delos to climb under my clothes and stay there until I allowed him to come out. He hung around my waist like a weird belt, and I tugged a large band hoodie (a gift from Nico, actually) over my head.

When we exited the car, a pretty woman in a black three-piece suit with dress pants, a white shirt, a vest, and a coat greeted us at the door, smiling welcomingly at Reginald. "Mr. leBlanc. How are you, sir?" She laughed brightly when Reggie lunged at her for a hug. She tried to shake her head and keep her dark brown locks out of her face. Her steely blue-green eyes softened at the sight of the young man.

"Ramona! It's so awesome to see you again! How are you?"

She chuckled. "Better since the last time we met, sir."

He snickered, nodding his head as he moved back to hook his arms and stand between Tlato and me, as if claiming us as his escorts in a fancy ball. "I would hope so. You were looking very green at that fundraiser event last year, and I don't just mean because of your dress." The woman's eyes wandered to Tlato and me, her snow bright smile wobbling a little when she noticed us. I already didn't like her.

Tlatoany seemed to feel just as uncomfortable as I did, just based on how his hand tightened around Reggie's elbow.

"And who are these _fine young people_, Mr. leBlanc?" Ramona wondered semi-respectfully. I could practically taste the shade in her tone. I did not appreciate that at all. I could see from the judgment in her narrowed eyes and the dimmed upward curve of her smile that she didn't like me and my best friend. Probably because of our skin.

"These guys are my best friends! This is Tlatoany Castillo and Anusha Rajachari. I'm just taking them on a little cross-country road trip."

She smiled weirdly, but I don't know if Reginald noticed. "That's nice. Well, just let me know if there's anything I can do for you and your _friends_, sir." He nodded and waved to her while guiding us towards the elevators.

I frowned and stared hard at the ground as we entered the singular and massive and elaborate elevator. Reggie sighed and let go of our arms. "I know you feel uncomfortable. I'm really sorry. I should have warned you. These guys are super classist and racist. It's disgusting how they treat some of my and my mom's guests. I really don't like it, but I've got limited safety and security while I'm here, and I don't want to get you guys in any sort of trouble. With my mom, I can make complaints. When she's not here, well…"

That surprised me, which is odd. I suppose I didn't expect him to be this aware of stuff. In my experience, people as rich as or richer than Reggie didn't know or care about racial- and class-based microaggressions.

I got that kind of treatment all the time, especially because some of my friends did have wealthier relatives who lived in Chicago's suburbs, and whenever I joined them for Thanksgiving or Christmas if my mom was busy, I always felt judged by their neighbors or friends or other family members. It's not a nice feeling, to know someone's putting on an act to cover up how much they don't like your presence. I first saw microaggressive behavior from white people towards people of color when I was seven, hanging out with a friend whose mother had a white client come over to look at designs for home decor. How fucked up is that? Just that man's reaction to me made me feel like a criminal in my friend's own house.

But Reggie knew exactly what that woman was doing and why. I appreciated that he knew, but it sucked that we weren't the first people to deal with this shit at this fancy place.

He scowled. "The rich are usually racist too. It's not a coincidence or a pattern. It's a system, and they want to keep it that way. My mom's been trying to change things, at least in her own business if not in others', but it's hard to make any difference when her clients here in New York City won't accept certain services and such from her because the whole process is usually managed by people of color, who comprise about 80% of our employee population."

I nodded, and only because I knew a little bit about business practices from my friends' parents who owned mom-and-pop shops back at home. "What exactly _does_ your mom do that makes her so much money, anyway?"

"Oh, she owns leBlanc EntreView. We basically teach people how to find and get jobs in their hometown and elsewhere. The whole business is set up as a kind of teaching service mixed with a subscription service mixed with a career coaching service. We hire more people of color than not, and diversity is our greatest strength and pride. We're super excited to expand because we do things very differently compared to other companies. And as difficult as it is to maintain sometimes, our minimum wage is fifteen per hour."

I stared at him like he'd grown a second head out of his shoulder. "Bro. I thought you were joking. You guys seriously do sound like a dream." Reginald beamed at that, face as happy as a clam.

He leaned over to hug me tightly and chuckled. "I'm glad you like the company. But it's been hard to expand recently because the wealthy and middle-class of white America don't like the idea of a company mostly run by non-white people, even though for many others, that's a dream come true." I did feel bad about that. I think that the company was his mom's dream, the fresh start he told us about when talking about his shitty family from Paris.

His face brightened up quickly, though, and his enthusiasm was almost infectious (pun fucking intended). "Still, we've hired a new head of security for the company, so that's fun! He's based in Arizona. He's this super cool guy. Mom told me a lot about him. Apparently, he's a former military officer who has a lot of expertise in tech, a master's degree in cybersecurity, I think, and he's also from the Navajo nation. I think he's famous, too!"

Tlatoany's jaw dropped. "Wait. What's his name?" What was going on? Tlato had clearly made some kind of connection, but I didn't know what it was.

Reggie raised an eyebrow. "Franklin something. A Navajo and Indigenous rights activist. Pretty big in the Southwest."

Tlato opened and closed his mouth like a fish until Reggie pinched him. "Bro, what is it? Are you okay?"

Tlatoany coughed. "Dude, your mom hired my dad as the head of security for EntreView…"

I wanted to faint. "What?!"

The boys grinned at one another and hugged tightly, laughing to themselves. "Holy shit, man. Wow, so I guess fate really did bring us together, huh?"

My best friend chuckled and nodded. "I guess it did, colonizer," he joked. Reginald snorted and snickered, almost falling over from laughing too hard.

I just smiled dimly and looked away, trying to avoid the feelings of jealousy and exclusion that had bloomed and begun to boil in my heart. I didn't know my family history like they did. I wasn't even from the same side of the US like they were. And now, fate didn't even think to bring me into the trio too. I was here somewhat by accident or something.

Reginald must have noticed because he tossed an arm around my shoulders and smiled, poking my cheek. "Hey, you okay? Don't feel bad. Maybe your mom knows my mom too! This is just the start of a long journey. And remember, you brought me back. You connected us three, okay? Fate's got less hand in this than you do." I tried to smile and pass it off like I didn't care, but that stung. I was so used to being excluded, but not like this. Not at Camp. I was a part of things. Of something. Of most things. People always asked me for some kind of help. Even if they just thought me useful rather than a friend, it felt good to be seen and needed. But this just ached, and I didn't know what to do with it.

I followed the boys to Reginald's mom's apartment and tried to not sink into that train of thought. It would only end badly, I knew.

At some point, that creepy red guy showed up again, floating in front of me, still behind the boys, and smirking. He lied on his back, massive wings keeping him afloat as they beat gently, leaving no breeze, causing no disturbance. I kept silent and spoke only in my own mind. "_What do you want now? Can't you see I'm trying to not wallow in self-pity?"_

"_Oh, come now, darling. I know you're already wallowing. Now. I have another lesson for you."_ I rolled my eyes at that.

"_Oh, wow, thanks. Another lesson after, 'Don't be a sore loser and just ask for help!'. What a fantastic idea, O asshole-ish one."_ I sneered in response. The red angel rolled his eyes and huffed.

"_You know, the least you could do is be nice. I'm giving you genuine good advice. I'm trying my best here."_

I sighed and nodded. "_Fine. I'm sorry."_

"_Thank you. This is your next lesson. Do not compare before knowing all the facts. You can't compare two objects without knowing enough information about both of them. Do not compare yourself to your friends without knowing who they are, without knowing who you are."_ And with a soft smile and a pat to my cheek, he vanished into a puff of red smoke. I sighed. Well, he did have a point. I didn't know enough about either of the guys to make any kind of guess or judgment about who they were or what they were going through. How could I feel lesser to people I didn't know?

I took a deep breath and kept moving forward. Self-inflicted pain brings no benefit. Only pity. So, I pushed down all the stupid jealousy and sadness and tried to think about what I would see. About how to protect my friends. About how to resolve the situation with my mother. That would suck, but I had to prepare myself for the worst, right?

The apartment was more like a mini mansion. I couldn't even process what I was seeing.

Right when you walk in, you have a fully-furnished, modernist kitchen to the left, with a large, high-ceiling living room area opposite the door. There was only a wall on the right, so nothing to see there except for a little shoe rack and a little table with a fake plant on it and a wooden bowl for the keys and a wonderful floral painting hanging on the wall above the table. The living room encompassed the rest of the bottom floor, with several couches, a massive flatscreen TV on one wall, a working fireplace under that, and some other knick-knacks displayed in the adjacent shelves.

There was only one bathroom on the first floor, a toilet and sink in a little cranny that's visible once you take a right turn along the wall after walking forward into the apartment. All the bedrooms were upstairs, all fully furnished and decorated to the max.

I couldn't help how I gawked at Reginald. "You live like this on the daily?!"

He smiled and shook his head. "My mom's house in LA is wayyy bigger than this. But this place is open for the public and for Mom's employees to use for however long they need, just so long as they tell her. It's kind of a thing where she lets people rent it out, but without asking them to pay rent."

My mind still couldn't comprehend how people could live with so much wealth and not feel overwhelmed. But I guess Reginald was accustomed to that way of life.

The LA boy stretched his arms and yawned, dropping his bag on one of the couches. "If you guys need anything, just go ahead and take it. Snacks in the kitchen, bathroom, shower, anything you want. I'm gonna go upstairs and get the clothes that I left here last time I visited with my mom."

The staircase was right across from the first floor restroom, and just as he began walking up the steps, I asked if I could just go around and look at stuff, give Delos a little break from the space heater that is my abdomen. Reggie raised an incredulous eyebrow at that, but nodded, smiling in confusion as my snoodle doodle baby slithered out of my clothes and stretched himself out onto the couch where Reggie's bag lay.

Tlato sat down on one of the stiffer seats and called out to me. "Anu, you okay? Relax. Just get some air."

I nodded and rubbed my face. I had lied. I didn't care about the tour. I just needed a safe place to have my panic attack. I know what you're thinking. Two attacks in one day? Yeah, I'd never been far from home or from adults until now. I was full of anxious energy. I had no way to calm down after everything that had happened.

"I'm alright. Just need to walk around a bit, let off all the steam. I'll see you in a bit," I reassured him with a half-ass smile. Tlatoany didn't seem super happy with my answer, but he sat back and let me go anyways. Which I greatly appreciated.

At first, I did take things slow. I walked around, observed every single thing until I was bored of that area. Upstairs was even cooler than downstairs. So many cool little doohickeys and whosawhatsits in every room. Something new to learn and see wherever I walked. But then I entered the last of the four upstairs bedrooms, and I couldn't take it anymore.

I sat down in a corner of the room, with the TV on its stand to my right and this cute little wicker couch with blue, purple-flowered cushions to my left. I pulled my knees up to my chest, put my head in my hands, and cried like I'd never cried before. This was almost as bad as when I had that run-in with the Grove. Almost.

To my extreme misfortune, I hadn't realized that this was Reggie's bedroom. Because he walked out of the bathroom in the room right as my crying got louder. The bathroom door opposed the wicker chair, so he didn't see me immediately, but he definitely heard my cries, and that made him turn his head and watch me sob like a newborn.

I didn't notice his state of dress until he was right in front of me, holding my face in both hands, gentle fingers brushing against my ears. My tears streaked down the sad slopes of my face, and I could hear the muffled sound of Reggie calling for Tlato to "HURRY UP AND GET UP HERE NOW! ANU'S NOT OKAY!"

Tlatoany's footsteps thundered throughout the apartment, his face slack with worry as he noticed my condition. I felt at home again. The moment he sat beside me, an arm around my shoulders, Reginald still holding my face and trying to console me, I figured out my home base. I figured out where I felt safest. And that was with these two idiots. Even though I didn't know them that long, I knew myself. I knew my gut, and it told me that if I should trust anyone at all, it should be these two.

After I'd significantly calmed down, the two of them sat with me and tried to cajole me into drinking some water and then some warmed milk with sugar and cinnamon in it. I did actually feel much better after getting some fluids and affection.

I addressed Reggie once he stood up to finish dressing himself.

He told me while getting his shirt on and his items packed that he had been carefully trying to wrap his chest just before, and was about to dress himself when he heard what sounded like crying. When he realized it was me having another panic attack, he said, he figured it was more important to calm me down since he didn't know how badly the attack would affect me this time.

"Are you okay?"

Reginald let out a snort. "You're asking _me _that? You're the one who just had a panic attack, Anu."

I huffed. "I meant like, you wrap. It's not the best for your chest, lungs, or ribs. I have a feeling this may have contributed to your injuries when you were trying to run to Camp all the way from New York City."

He sighed. "Yeah. I know. It's probably gonna fuck me up eventually. But I just don't want to spend the money I have on binders when I could be helping people with it."

Tlato, ever the man of few words, murmured softly, "It's okay to spend money if it'll keep you safe, Reggie. I'm sure your mom told you that often. Safety first. Kind of important for a hemophiliac, right?"

The son of Hermes couldn't argue with that, but I was shell-shocked. "Wait, you're a hemophiliac?! No wonder I had so much trouble undoing your cuts and bruises. Your blood just didn't want to clot!" I smacked my forehead with my palm in exasperation at myself. "How did I not see that earlier? That's literally part of my job. Wow."

Reggie just shrugged. "Not many people know that. Besides. I don't need my medical record out in the public." That made sense. HIPAA regulations and all that. Understandable.

"Everyone's got enemies, and with Izzy's kidnappers still at large, I can't take any chances." Still made sense.

"Okay, but you still shouldn't be binding with bandages, Reggie."

He groaned loudly. "Ughhhh. Okay, then what do you want me to do?" I smirked fully for the first time in several days. Tlato pulled me up to my feet when he realized I had a plan.

"Quick shopping trip. We're gonna get you a sports bra."

Reggie's face contorted into confusion and slight disgust until I explained. "Compression sports bras are somewhat like binders. They keep the chest compressed down. For binders, a size too small will hurt your physical health. For sports bras, though, it's not that harmful to get one that's a bit tighter, so long as the bottom part isn't too tight under the chest because, then, you run into the same issues of too-tight binders."

He nodded slowly, smiling. "That makes sense. So are we going now?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I think I just needed to get that cry out. I'm okay now. But I do need some food, so I'm gonna take some of the snacks and stuff before we head back out."

Tlatoany bent backwards to get the cricks out of his spine. "Alright then. Let's go." He and I stepped around Reginald to get to the door but paused when our friend grabbed our wrists, one person for each of his hands. We glanced at one another and yelped when Reggie tugged us back into a tight hug, pressing his face into our shoulders.

"I just…thank you for not judging me or being weird about this. I really do appreciate it." Both grinning, Tlato and I tilted his chin up to kiss his cheeks simultaneously, me on his left and Tlato on his right. I could feel my ego swelling as the shorter guy's face erupted into red and pink from the affection.

"We're your friends, Reggie. We gave part of ourselves away to save you. There's no reason in the world we'd let you go because your body doesn't match your heart. You are who you are, and we care about you no matter your differences from the societal norm."

Tlatoany put it into words better than I could have.

But not wanting to stay silent in the sweet moment, I said what I could. "I understand your struggles. It's not easy not trying to fight against what society wants you to be." I pulled back and smiled. "I know that intimately." Not wanting to say too much and spill my whole life story to them when there was still other stuff to do, I patted Reggie's shoulder and kissed his cheek one more time before heading downstairs again.

In the corner of my eye, I could see Reggie and Tlato making eyes at one another, both soft and sad and sweet together. I just smiled and kept going.

Delos hissed lazily in greeting when I moved closer and picked him up gently, cradling him like a baby in my arms, his body coiled up, head resting in the crook of my elbow. "Big baby, always sleeping for no reason," I joked. He just hissed and gnawed at my arm without using his fangs. "Oh, hush. Whiner."

The serpentine creature opened his mouth big and wide, as if yawning. I laid him around my neck like a scarf and headed into the kitchen to grab some of the snacks, mostly protein bars, granola, trail mix, and protein powder packets to mix into water.

After collecting and packing the foodstuffs into my bag, I made a quick call to Will to let him know what had happened so far.

"Wait, he has an apartment in Manhattan?"

I hummed. "Will, his mom has apartments all over the US. She's like a multimillionaire or something. I don't know how I didn't realize how rich this kid is. Anyways, how are things at Camp?" My voice darkened when I remembered how far I was from home. I didn't like that I wasn't there to protect my siblings and Emilia and Jonah when they needed me. "Any attacks?"

Will sighed. "No. But everyone's on high alert. Another flaming arrow. But the assassins hurried away when they learned you aren't here. We saw a group of six rushing down the hills towards NYC. You guys better hurry. I don't know how far they've gotten since then."

I scowled. That was not the kind of news I wanted to hear. Delos licked my cheek in response to my irritated state. "When did they leave?"

"Two hours ago."

My hand went to the back of my head. "Fuck. Okay. Thanks, Will. I'll keep you updated. Stay safe. Stay alert, at least until I get back. Okay? Have the Hecate and Hermes kids make traps for those losers in the woods, and leave some in the Grove, too. Find some way to strengthen the borders, and have Leo make every building in Camp fireproof. I don't know what will happen, and that means it's better to be safe than sorry."

Will's voice trembled when he responded then. "Got it. And Anu?"

I took a deep breath and tried to keep my calm. "Yeah, Will?"

His smile was more audible. "Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. And if you need a favor, call me. I'm here for you, and I've got connections and family all over the country."

Trying to keep the tears of love at bay, I replied with a chuckle. "Thanks, Will. I'll talk to you after the next stretch is over, okay? Love you. Tell everyone I love them on my behalf, okay? And make sure Nico knows that I left my position to Emilia while I'm on the quest. Bye."

"Love you too, honey. Stay safe. I'll tell everyone. Love you. Bye."

I hung up and rubbed my face. It didn't seem possible that I already missed everyone at Camp.

* * *

Tlatoany and Reginald hurried downstairs, clothed and looking ready for anything that came our way. They grabbed their bags and heaved them over loose shoulders and strong backs. I did the same, making sure Delos laid over the straps and not under them. We checked that we had our necessary belongings before hurrying out the door. I told them the situation as we rushed. "Will said that there was another flaming arrow situation. Those assholes are back. They left Camp and headed for NYC two hours ago after learning that I wasn't there. We need to pick up speed, and fast. I have no clue how fast or how well they can track us."

Reggie furrowed both eyebrows and cocked his head back. His eyes wandered towards the ceiling, as if trying to think of answers for a test. "I don't think anyone told me about that. Did that happen a while ago or was I just passed out?"

Tlato explained the event while I worried and tried to imagine the fastest way to scare away the attackers if they did reach us. I didn't want to kill them. I didn't want to injure or ruin them with plagues. Worst case scenario, I could give them bad colds and keep them weak. If that doesn't work either, I could give them weaker versions of the flu. It would hinder them enough that they'd have to seek shelter and housing for a little while.

I didn't notice the boys speeding through a conversation as I mulled over my plan. I only realized they were asking for my input once we already reached the lobby. "Huh? What? Did you two say something?"

Tlato just shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Anu, I know your powers make you really scary and cool and frighten off any potential enemies, but you still do need to pay attention when we're talking, you know."

I squinted at him, and he put his hands up in surrender, eyebrows raised. I smirked. "Thought so. But genuinely, I was thinking of our safety against those weirdos. I've dealt with them before. I've got the most experience. Seriously, what were you two talking about just now? And what did you ask me?"

Reggie was nice enough to explain without being a bitch. "Basically, we're planning on heading to the Underworld from the LA entrance. Tlato and I are thinking that's where Pallas is hiding because he's a Titan. He'd be smited the moment he reaches the surface by Zeus or someone else, so it makes the most sense that he's still hiding away in the Underworld. It's a lot bigger than the surface of the Earth, and there are a lot more places to hide. Nico can tell us where the entrance is in LA. I suggested we take the route I took to get to Camp. Easy, fast, convenient, and I've already done it before, so it's nothing new to me. He was asking if you had any suggestions for locations before we go."

My face turned to the floor before I could stop it. Tears rose in my eyes before I could say anything. "I need to see my mother."

The boys seemed surprised at this, but I couldn't figure out why. Tlato was the only one to speak next. I was too busy crying to make any noises. "Anu, she abandoned you. I thought she'd be the last person you'd want to see after she left you!"

I scowled through the heartache. "And who are you to assume that?"

Reggie rested a hand on my shoulder, and I did my best to calm down. "Look, she raised me. I deserve an explanation for why she did what she did."

Tlatoany rubbed his temples. "I get that. And you do deserve an explanation. But why can't you just call her? Anu, she's the reason you even had that situation with the Grove of Dodona to begin with." I grabbed him by the collar, and I could see Reginald's heart rate spike.

I growled lowly, trying to keep all of my rage at bay. "You know nothing about that. You know nothing about my relationship with my mother. You do not get to tell me what I should or shouldn't do regarding that situation. Have I made myself clear, Tlatoany Castillo? _Have I?_" He only nodded and rested his hands over mine, and I nearly collapsed into tears, _again_. Of course, because I am a coward who fears her own emotions, I shoved his hands away and went about walking to the front doors.

Reginald kept an even pace with me, staying about four feet away just to show respect for my boundaries, which I greatly appreciated. Tlato did the same, staying to Reggie's other side.

We walked out together, only to be approached by the evil air hostess-looking lady, Ramona. I stopped her before she could open her mouth. "Lady, I don't know you. And frankly, I don't care. I am exhausted with your bullshit behavior. I don't like how you look at me, and I don't like how you look at my best friend. I might argue with this guy, but he is my fucking anchor. You are nothing in his presence. And as far as I'm concerned, you are but a speck of dust floating in the air to me, only to be lost and forgotten when the wind blows you away. But that's not who you are to other people. So maybe either get a different job that isn't in the service industry, or just shut the fuck up about how much you hate people of color."

She gave a plastic smile and scrunched her eyebrows together. "Ma'am, I don't know what you're talking about. I've never spoken to either of you before."

I snorted. "You don't gotta say anything for me to know what you're thinking, you racist bitch. Your trash opinions are written all over your face, you pile of sweaty garbage."

Reggie just grinned at me all proud and laughed, shrugging at Ramona's indignant face. Tlatoany hid his snickers behind a strong hand, and we continued on our way. My best bud asked softly once we reached the bus stop, "Do you get that angry at all racists?"

I sighed and tilted my head back to look him in the face (yes, he is indeed so tall that I have to do that to look at him directly). "Tlato, that is the angriest I've ever gotten at any human adult before in my entire life."

Reginald gaped. "Wait, what?! Are you serious?"

I frowned. "Why is that so surprising?"

Tlatoany shrugged. "You're the plague-bringer. You've got a rage like I've never seen in my life. Anu, you nearly yeeted a guy to the Underworld because he _tried_ to kill me."

A snort forced its way out of my mouth. "Please don't ever say 'yeeted' ever again, bud." That word doesn't suit you.

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, my point is, you're powerful as fuck. And you can get plenty angry. I guess we're just shocked that you've never turned that power or anger against adults before."

I hummed. "Well, part of that might be that _I only discovered I was a plague-bringer __**after**_ _I came to Camp_." They laughed sheepishly in weird unison. "But also, I never raised my voice against authority figures. Not ever. I never had the guts to yell at my mom because she was so soft and fragile and couldn't handle much stress, and she praised me for being a good kid. I ended up enforcing that in other parts of my life, which includes school and such."

"So did you never tell a teacher that they made a mistake in class if they did the math wrong or read something wrong?"

"Ummm…" I tried to recall a time when I corrected my teachers in school. "Yeah, plenty of times. But it was never loud. I just said it quietly, like a suggestion or a question. They'd apologize themselves for the mistake."

Tlato tapped his lips after that, clearly pondering something serious. "Anu, let me ask you this: have you ever gotten angry at anyone at all before you came to Camp?"

The answer was no, but I had a feeling that was the wrong answer. "Uhhh…no?"

With quick glances at one another, the boys seemed to communicate something telepathically. I admit, I was kinda jealous of that ability of theirs. Clearly, they were meant to be soulmates or whatever.

"Um, Anu, you know we love you, but like, I don't think that's normal, honestly," Reggie admitted while shifting on his feet.

I shrugged. "Normal is a social construct."

He frowned, shaking his head. "Maybe, but this isn't about social constructs, darling. I think you might have mental health issues because of your mom."

"Bro, everyone has issues with their parents. That's just how America is, honestly."'

Tlatoany grunted. "He's right, Anu. Good parents would never create scarred children."

I brushed off their claims. I wasn't mentally fucked just because I didn't get angry. Maybe I was just a more polite kid than them, and they didn't want to admit it. Then again, I'd never seen Tlato wear such concern on his face before. Especially not with a matter relating to my well-being.

The boys just kept an eye on me as we boarded the bus, tickets that Reggie had purchased, ready in our hands. Thankfully, with two columns of seats with six seats per row, the bus was quite large and could accommodate all of our luggage. And like the clever little reptile he is, Delos hid underneath my clothes, which were baggy enough to conceal him from creeping eyes. We agreed to go shopping for Reginald's binder after getting out of New York City, which was probably one of our better plans. I took away any of his health problems and tried to make sure he didn't have any circulation or breathing issues because of his wrapping.

We sat silently, waiting for the bus to start. Reggie reclined in his seat near the aisle, keeping watch over me and Tlato through the corner of his right eye. Tlatoany squished himself between me and Reginald, clearly comfortable and not worried at all about being stuck in a tight spot for what could be a ten hour ride, maybe longer. I sat near the window, needing to see the outside world to keep my motion sickness at bay.

Tlato kept rubbing my hand whenever I bent over at the waist from the nausea threatening to spill out of my mouth in the form of vomit. This was not going to be a fun time for me.

Fortunately, I had my headphones and fell asleep while listening to music, the gentle scraping of Tlatoany's rough fingertips grazing over the back of my palms as sleep took me. Not like I wanted to be awake anyways. People were still boarding the bus, and we would only depart after another half hour.

I could feel Tlato murmuring something to Reggie. No, I didn't hear it, and I didn't have my hand on his mouth. The deepness of his voice caused this heavy resonance that I could feel in my chest. I know it sounds weird, but I don't know how else to describe it. I had no idea what he was saying, so don't bother asking me. However, I am very sure that he was talking to Reggie about something in a very low tone that day as I fell asleep.

I never sleep well in vehicles of any kind, and that includes buses. That translates into me having almost-nightmares that leave me somewhat petrified upon waking. My dreams frightened me. I admit. I'd never been scared of my dreams like I have been at those ones. The dream of my death wasn't nearly as bad.

_Clouds surrounded me, like I was on the stage of some concert venue that got a bit too excited with the smoke machine. And then, like I was on a forward-moving escalator, something pulled me towards it, endless, powerful, infinite. My body forced me to kneel. This hurt my pride more than I want to admit. A king stood before me. How did I know that? His voice. I could hear the power in just his voice, without even looking at him. This was a king who ruled worlds, galaxies. He needed no permission, no acknowledgement. He simply _ _ **was**__, and he terrified me. _

_Eyes like the blaze of lightning during a thunderstorm glowered down at me, lips pulled back in a wolfish sneer. His beard shifted with the movement, and the king grunted at me. "Rise."_

_I scrambled to my feet, trying to not make a greater fool of myself than he already thought I was. The king regarded me with an incomprehensible level of distaste, as if he noticed a giant pile of garbage on the floor of his palace. Which, in his eyes, he probably did. The king examined me after I got to my feet, and I tried to not let him see my fear. If he did, he might have looked down on me even more. _

"_Do you know who I am?"_

_I shook my head, not daring to look him in the face. He huffed, turning and taking a seat in his throne of gold, leaning his elbows on the armrests. _

"_Try and guess it."_

_The clues didn't hit me until a few moments of me biting my lip and trying to see what would inform me of who he was, symbols and such. It was so obvious, I felt ashamed that I didn't think of it ahead of time. Saying the name out loud seemed like a bad idea, but I was pretty sure of my answer. "Zeus, god of the sky, king of the Olympian gods."_

_He gave a wisp of a smile, the left corner of his lips pulling up in faint amusement. You'd miss it if you didn't look closely at him without moving. _

"_Correct."_

_I raised an eyebrow. "That would make you my grandfather, then, right?"_

_He scowled. "You are as much my grandchild as Nico di Angelo is my nephew. I do not know you, and I do not want to."_

_That made me wince, but I kept silent except to ask a question. "Why are you here, Mr. Zeus?"_

_He sighed. "I suppose you never learned to address a god properly. Your father is so informal with everyone in Camp Half-Blood. He taught you about this world as he sees fit." With a wave of his hand, the king of the gods summoned a silver bow and a quiver full of gold-tipped arrows. _

"_Oooooh~!" I was delighted at seeing the fancy weapons. Zeus only rolled his eyes at my response. _

"_Do you know who these belong to? And what they are?"_

_I thought hard. "They're my dad's weapons, right? Silver-bowed Apollo?"_

_Zeus nodded gravely. "More than that, they are the plague arrows your father used against the Greek army during the Trojan War. They had kidnapped the daughter of one of his priests, and he destroyed them with plagues. That is your ancestry."_

_That was not the reply I had anticipated. "I-I know Dad did some bad things, and he did some cruel things but he's still my dad. He's trying to do better and be better. Why are you telling me this?"_

_Zeus rubbed his forehead and spoke more softly now, almost imperceptibly so. I could tell this was more about how much he loved Apollo than about him wanting to speak to me. "Apollo has suffered great loss because of me."_

_That shocked me. "I didn't think you were self-aware."_

_The god of the sky smiled a bit more visibly. "My son has changed many of us. Whether through his good influence or his forceful lessons, he's made us learn to look at ourselves and self-evaluate." I grinned and hooted happily. _

"_Dad's the best, huh?"_

_He hummed. "I'm a king. I'm not allowed to play favorites. But I must still tell you why you're here."_

_I kept my mouth shut and waited for him to tell me. _

"_I believe you should know your ancestry before making your legacy. This was Hera's idea, by the way."_

_My smile curved into a grin before I could stop myself. "Tell her my thanks."_

"_I will. But of the matter: you come from a line of plague-bringers." I nodded quickly. I knew all that stuff already. Why was he telling me stuff I knew? "Your first plague-bringing siblings held very great importance in early societies. They kept positions as great healers and saviors of humanity."_

_Zeus stood and walked past me, and I turned around just as he waved his hand to create a screen from the clouds. It displayed centuries upon centuries of human history after the birth of the first plague-bringer. Each of them did something great for their civilization, whether protecting them from a disease or using it to control the environment to prevent overpopulation or excessive drought and starvation. _

"_They saved millions, and though they sometimes had to cause the death of some people, they avoided causing their people suffering."_

_I frowned, watching all the beautiful images of flourishing societies and great civilizations at peak health. "What went wrong? Why am I the first of them born in like, seven hundred years or whatever?"_

_Zeus snapped his fingers, and a scene formed on the floating screen. "Europe. When Olympus moved there, a great tragedy occurred. At that point, the Grove of Dodona existed in England. Camp Half-Blood was across the English Channel, where modern Holland is. I sent down a prophecy of the plague-bringers' destruction to the oracle of the Grove, and the plague-bringers who heard it tried to destroy the Grove."_

_I winced. I couldn't remember the details of what happened to me there, but I knew it was something bad. _

_The father of my father nodded gravely. "It indeed was quite the difficult issue. But the Grove told them only truth. It told them they would die, and they did. At first, the prophecy was only about a demigod with hate of disease who would kill some of them. But after their attack on the Grove of Dodona, other demigods ordered a reactive strike and killed the attackers. Eventually, the killings of plague-bringers spread all over Europe after the advent of the Black Death. First, it was small numbers in the East. As the disease traveled and increased in infection rates and deaths, so did the killings of plague-bringers. There remained only one, a girl in England. Because all the others had been killed, she couldn't learn to control her powers and unleashed the full power of the Black Plague, causing a death toll unprecedented in human history. The demigods and humans of Europe saw this suffering as a personal strike of vengeance against them and so went on to spread plagues, disease, and death to the New World. They sought to do unto others as was done unto them. The prophecy that predicted some of your predecessors' death lead to the eventual demise of the native populations of the Western Hemisphere."_

_Tears blinded me, and I crumbled to my knees. I swallowed down the screams and dug my fingernails into the marble beneath me. Zeus tried to speak kindly, gently, but it fell short of mild disappointment and regret. "I do not tell you this to depress you. I tell you this to challenge you. I, like all the gods, had many doubts when your father blessed you with these powers. I still do not think you should be allowed to roam the Earth freely. But you are a product of centuries of human history and suffering. You have been raised in a life that has made you choose survival and your mother over all else."_

_I wanted to get angry that he implied that my mother traumatized me, that choosing her over myself is a bad thing, but I was too busy being depressed. The king of the gods tilted my head up to face him by pulling up my jaw. "You have completed the circle. Your ancestors destroyed Europe. Europe destroyed the world, ruining your country of origin, and now you're back with the same powers that destroyed Europe. This is my challenge for you: what will you do with the power you were given? This is your decision at every twist and turn."_

_The kind man trying to soothe my tears went away, and the King returned. "Choose wisely, child."_

Tlato had shaken me awake to try and stop me from screaming more. Apparently, I'd started screeching like a banshee when I was close to consciousness again. Everyone in the bus glowered at me, eyes narrowed and irritated with my unconscious screeches. My friends poked and prodded me until I explained to them what Zeus had told me in my dream. They frowned deeply, lips curved downwards in confusion, anger, and something else I couldn't determine. "None of that makes any sense to me, but…"

Tlatoany gave me those sad eyes of his when I clung to him and bowed my head, whispering traumatized apologies and words of regret. He just held onto me, not saying anything until I'd calmed down. "You didn't hurt my people. Europe still made the choice to hurt my ancestors and the other true citizens of the New World. While I appreciate the apology, you don't need to apologize for what you didn't directly contribute to."

I just nodded, leaning back and pondering the information I'd just learned. Reggie tried to ask about what I was thinking, but I told him, "No, man. Not now. When we get out of here, maybe. But…I just need to sit on this stuff, okay?"

He understood that I _really_ did not want to talk and listened to his own music, curly-haired head leaned against Tlato's shoulder. I put in my headphones and zoned off in an attempt to piece together what I had been told by the king of the Greek gods. Very little of it made sense to me, but I had to try, right?

At some point, the bud shook and quaked as some kind of large object fell on top of it, denting the ceiling. Reginald's face paled as he grabbed onto Tlato's arm to shake him awake. I whispered my question to him in Spanish, figuring he would know at least a little bit of the Iberian language. "_Es un monstruo_?" Reggie nodded, and the bus driver pulled us all over, opening the door so he could go outside and see what was wrong.

We waited with bated breath, hoping it was just some large rock or a bird that landed too hard on the roof, but it didn't seem likely or possible.

Not seeing anything, the elderly black man shrugged and reentered the bus, sitting down in his seat and getting ready to continue the drive. With a slow inhale and a slower exhale, I collected all the plague from the surrounding forest, trees, and sewer system and created a sphere of plague around the bus, imagining myself blowing up a balloon made of plague gas instead of rubber.

Reggie, Tlato, and I could hear the hissing shrieks of whatever had landed on the roof, and the subsequent puff when it burst into dust.

The three of us grinned at each other like fools. Tlato poked my cheek playfully, pretending to lavish praise upon me for the new skill I'd created.

Reggie just watched me with some kind of awe before murmuring softly, "You should write a book. About yourself, your powers, your story. Ya know, so other plague-bringers after you can learn how to be good plague-bringers?"

I leaned over to kiss his cheek. "You think I'll make it through this so Olympus will let Dad have more plague-bringers and not kill them?"

He simply smiled and nodded. "Yep." And then he went back to his phone. Tlatoany and I did the same, leaning into one another as we dozed off, again. Oh, it was already a good day so far.

As we exited the bus, Reginald made a weird face, kind of like a mix of fear and confusion. And then his face brightened and he sprinted forward, tossing his arms around a man with salt-and-pepper hair styled with way too much hair gel, a faint tan from being outside too much (pale skin outlined his eyes, as if he spent most of his time wearing sunglasses). The wrinkles of his face implied age, but the brilliant cleverness in his eyes implied a deft mind.

Our friend waved Tlato and me over, so we joined him. The man held out his hand, keeping one on Reggie's back. I didn't like that. Something felt uncomfortable about this guy.

I mean, in retrospect, he probably wasn't that bad, considering his dad outfit of a yellow polo shirt, cargo shorts, and white Vans, but my gut was screaming at me to keep Reginald away from him.

Reggie grinned, pulling us forward. "Guys, this is my Uncle's best friend and my tutor since I was four. Mr. Joshua Graves. Wonderful teacher and good friend to my family. Mr. Graves, these are my friends, Anu and Tlato. I can't give you their full names because I have a feeling they don't want me to, but they're really wonderful people. Anu was the one to help me recover after a coma and stuff too!"

Mr. Graves, who was probably in his early to mid-forties, grinned easily and tipped his head forward, his Scottish accent more prominent than I anticipated. "An honor to meet you both, truly. Reginald is like a son to me, probably for the better. His cousins aren't as well-behaved," he joked. Laughs threatened to leave my throat, and I forced them down.

"Nice to meet you, too, sir. You're a friend of Reginald's uncle, then?" Tlato wondered. "How did you meet?"

The older man chuckled. "It's not an interesting story, laddie, but I'll gladly tell you if you'd like. But I presume you're on a journey? A quest?"

My heart stopped. Knowing Tlato and Reggie, theirs did too. I croaked out, "How do you know?"

He winked. "My father was a son of Mars, lass. I may not have gone to CHB, but I was practically raised in the Legion. A lot of the older members told me stories of quests of victory and of quests gone wrong." The man scratched at his stubble and let out a slow, happy whistle. "Although, I do hear many tales about that boy Percy Jackson. Any of you know him?"

I huffed. "No, but I know of him. People keep shoving his name into my face. It's gotten real old real fast."

Mr. Graves raised a grey eyebrow, a smirk rising to his lips. "Oh? And why do they do that?"

Without much hesitation, I replied, "Because I'm the plague-bringer. I'm the strongest of us three, so everyone at Camp expects me to be exactly like Jackson, to do things exactly as he would do them. It's annoying, honestly."

He gaped. "You-you're really…" Mr. Graves swayed a little, as if he were about to fall. Thankfully for him, Reginald was there to steady him.

"Sir, what's-"

The man shook his head, pulling Reginald along and directing us to follow. "Come with me! I know I must be startling you, but please. Trust me. I know what you need. I have to help you." I was cautious. I didn't know this guy, and he very well could be a monster in disguise, but Tlato followed him, and I trusted my best friend.

He led us to his home a little ways away from the bus station, and he pulled us inside, locking the door behind him. He hurried to his office, and we hurried after him, our bags bouncing on our backs.

"Here! This is it! I've been waiting so long to hear more about the plague-bringers, but I've never met one. No one has, obviously. Until you were born. The first plague-bringer." Like in National Treasure, Mr. Graves opened a huge diagram thing, kind of like a map of history rather than geography. His crazed expression and behavior startled me, but they especially startled Reginald, who practically grew up under this man's tutelage.

Graves grinned manically. "The plague-bringers disappeared around the time of the Black Death, yes. But, it's said that there lives a colony, maybe a civilization, of demigods and humans that worship the plague-bringers. In ancient times, as you know, they were considered great healers and protectors. They were Apollo's hand on Earth, defending and controlling disease to ensure humanity's ultimate success. But after they were killed, a small group of people in Europe, likely those plague-bringers' family and friends, rose up and worshipped them. The worship expanded to some areas where the plague-bringers held very high positions in society, almost like those of priests or lords."

He rushed off to get a huge display thing and fumbled with his laptop to project a PowerPoint presentation onto the display. Graves continued, showing images of the same green gas that surrounded me at any given moment, but in pictures and carvings in different monuments to the plague-bringers. "Your history goes beyond your father, lass. This cult apparently moved along with Olympus, and now, it's somewhere in the States. No one knows where, but the three of us who have studied plague-bringers in extreme detail believe that the cult used to worship Helios and had a base in Rhodes, but with the replacement of Helios with Apollo, they began worshipping the plague-bringers because they still hated Apollo for replacing their beloved deity."

I frowned at hearing all this information. Not that it was bad stuff, just that I couldn't understand how a grandson of Mars knew more about my own ancestry than I did.

"And, I believe, they can teach you many of the secrets and knowledge and skills taught by the plague-bringers. They mostly taught orally, but I know some must have transferred their information and knowledge to a written form, which the city of New Rhodes may still keep. New Rhodes is just a placeholder name until someone discovers the city."

This was promising. The boys and I looked at one another. "If he's right, guys, maybe we should go and look for it?"

Tlatoany rubbed his face, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know. I feel like it might be a waste of time. We don't even know if this place definitely exists, and even if it does, where would we even begin looking? And how long would it take to find it and then get in and then have Anu learn all the stuff? What if we're too late to stop Pallas because we spend too much time on this?"

And then I was disappointed, but Mr. Graves piped up with a laugh. "Who said anything about finding them?" I stared at him. "No, my dear. You do not find them. They find you. They've been searching for the next plague-bringer for centuries. They're exhausted and want their leader back. I'm sure they've developed some way to find the plague-bringers. If they haven't, that's quite sad. Either way, just go about your quest. They'll come to you."

Reginald swallowed loudly. "That almost sounds worse than going and looking for them."

I couldn't say anything but "Tell me about it."

Tlatoany glanced at me, Reggie, and Mr. Graves. "…so. What now?"

The adult in the room smiled excitedly. "Well, I can go put on a pot of tea. In the meantime, Anu, was it?" I nodded. He clapped his hands enthusiastically, eyes almost scarily hopeful. "What is it like being a plague-bringer? Tell me everything!"

I could only nod since I knew Reggie would be really hurt and upset if I was mean to his family friend. "Sure."

"Splendid! Now, what kind of tea would you kids like? Earl grey or Darjeeling? I have a wonderful jasmine, if you'd prefer something more floral!"


	19. My Teacher Betrays Us

While Mr. Graves fluttered about, heating up the water for the tea and trying to not trip over all the books that littered his floor like a landfill, he threw questions at Anusha, quizzing her about anything and everything related to being a plague-bringer. She answered to the best of her ability, but I didn't need to be telepathic to know he was wearing her out. So, I suggested that they just sit and relax while I get to making the tea. Tlato kept them company, so I was alone in the kitchen.

I don't know why, but I figured he either didn't want to wander around the house and make Mr. Graves feel uncomfortable, or he didn't want to leave Anu alone with my old teacher and make her uncomfortable.

As I brought out the tea on a platter with four teacups, a little cup of lemon slices, and a little jar of sugar cubes, Tlatoany shot me an amused grin.

"I keep forgetting your family probably taught you to be all fancy and made you learn stuff like what specific foods to serve with different teas," he teased with a fairly stiff face. I rolled my eyes.

"They made me learn a lot of things. But they never taught me about tea. That was all Mr. Graves."

Before I could continue my story, and before Tlato could respond, Anu asked my former teacher a question. "What has you so interested in plague-bringers, Mr. Graves? My ancestors were killed centuries ago, but there is very little record of them. Why do you care about their story?"

To my great surprise and concern, Mr. Graves didn't respond immediately, instead mumbling a few words and correcting himself before finally explaining, "I love history, my dear. Ancestry and legacy are very important in New Rome and in the Legion. And so, I've learned to appreciate the stories of modern demigods' elders."

Anusha seemed just as displeased with the answer, but she nodded without another word, eyes narrowed at the man's tense face.

I sat down and poured myself a cup of tea, dropping in two sugar cubes to balance out the bitterness. Anusha took the plain tea and sipped it silently. The discomfort in the room was practically palpable. Everything felt so intense. The squeaking of the leather chairs, the clink of cups against saucers, even the quiet scrape of sugar cubes sliding against one another.

After finishing her tea, Anusha drew in a deep breath through the nose and exhaled through the mouth. She turned to Mr. Graves, facing him fully, and glared right into his eyes. "I am not a smart person, Mr. Graves. The schools I went to as a kid and go to now aren't great, and I have a hard time picking up on stuff like sarcasm. But I know a lie when I hear one. My gut tells me things like that, and it is never wrong. Ever."

Mr. Graves shifted away from her, scooting backward on the long yellow leather couch he occupied. His glasses slipped down his nose, and he pushed them up with a quivering, bony finger. He began visibly quaking, shoulders jumping like there was an earthquake.

Anu smiled coldly, her eyes much crueler than I ever thought possible. "You know this well, sir. I am the plague-bringer. I am not afraid to use my powers. I won't now because you're very clearly terrified of me. I want you to keep that energy. I want you to always remember, for the time I'm here, how powerful I am. How I don't need to spend time thinking about how to hurt you. I don't even need to lift a finger or foot. All I gotta do is breathe real hard, and you'll be a pile of bleached-white bones before I'm out the door. You understand that?"

While I didn't like that one of my close friends who had saved my life was now threatening the life of someone so close to my family, I knew too that my teacher was lying. I knew him well enough to know that.

When he'd come over to my house for a weekend and play poker with my mom and uncle, he would always lose. Mr. Graves' tells were painfully obvious. He'd start rubbing his lips and tilt his head down so far that his glasses start sliding down the bridge. And then his shoulders start shaking like he's laughing at the greatest joke ever told.

And when Anusha finished her little threat, he started rubbing his lips and continued shaking his shoulders. He nodded his head imperceptibly, as if afraid that any movement would trigger Anu to turn him into a skeleton.

She crooned softly. "Good. Now. I want you to tell me without lying. Why do you care so much about the plague-bringers? Why do you want to know about me?"

Mr. Graves bit the inside of his cheek and looked away, maybe trying to gauge how fucked he'd be if he told her versus if he didn't. He made the wiser choice and explained everything. "I am a part of The Rejuvenation. A movement of demigods trying to reclaim the world and keep the gods out of it. Olympus has ruined much for the world, causing devastating wars, ruining human civilization by forcing demigods to fight monsters until death. By making human women and men suffer to raise those demigods alone with little help. And the powerful demigods they do create, demigods who want to help the world, end up instead destroying the world with natural disasters and unending wars."

Anusha paused at that, and her eyes lit up with something fearful. I absolutely hated that. I couldn't find a way to cope with it. I always looked to her for confidence. The entire time I was in Camp, when the quest started, when anything happened, I knew if she was feeling relaxed and calm, I didn't have to worry about my or Tlato's safety. She was our rock. But when a plague-bringer, of all people, is afraid, you're probably done for. Her hands balled into fists, and she forced them to stay in her lap and not move.

"Our leader is Ash. A hero. A Savior. She will lead us to a future where the gods stay out of human lives and human affairs. We will make them live as the Egyptian gods must, not interacting at all with humanity. She told her highest officials, the Red Komodos, that the Sminthian demigods would be the key to defeating Olympus. She never explained how."

With grey-blue eyes, he turned to Anusha, his face like melting steel. "I am one of the Red Komodos, and because of my connection to the University in New Rome, as well as to the Legion, Ash ordered me to begin research on the Sminthians."

"Slow down, old man. What's a Sminthian?"

He sighed. "In one word? You. Smintheos is an epithet of your father's, referring to the mice and rats that carry diseases that Apollo can bring or avert. The term 'Sminthian' refers to a plague-bringer."

Tlato put his hands up, now glaring harshly at the man. "What the hell did you just say? About New Rome. What was that?" He glared harder when Mr. Graves ran a hand over his hair.

"The Rejuvenation exists everywhere. We permeate all of society. Even in the demigod safe-havens. Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter and New Rome, everywhere you can think of. Hell, many of us have taken up positions in power. The police, the government, major financial institutions, welfare groups, anywhere and everywhere."

Anusha put her face in her hands and then grabbed my former favorite tutor by his collar, dragging him onto the ground. "What's your mission? WHAT IS THE ENDGAME?"

He grunted at the force of her pull. "The destruction of Olympus or the silence of the gods. If they do not stay out of humanity's existence, they must be destroyed." Scrambling for some sense of control and finding none, she punched him so hard, the crack of his jaw echoed throughout the house. Mr. Graves just grunted, shaking off the hit with a roll of his shoulders. "Getting stressed, are you? Maybe you can stop me. Maybe you can stop a few hundred monsters. But how will you stop an army five-thousand strong? How will you work against them? You can't. You will never defeat us."

Anusha fell backward into the chair and began rocking back and forth, shoving Tlato and me away when we tried to reach out to help her.

Already tired of the lying and taunting, I opened my watch, drew my sword, and pointed it at his throat, attempting to not enjoy the feeling of watching his face pale in seconds. "You will tell us everything you know, and you will hand over all of your Sminthian research to us. And one more thing, how do you get into contact with Ash? Who is she? Where is she? We want details. NOW."

His face softened suddenly, and he reached a hand out to me, stopping when I pressed the sword closer. Still, he didn't stop the welcoming, sad expression. "Reginald. Dear boy. I've taught you since you were but a baby. Will you forget all of that in favor of your friend? Just imagine. Imagine how much you could-"

"Shut up. Just shut up. You've lied so much. So so much. I don't know how long you've been working with this woman, but you betrayed all of us. Every demigod in Camp Half-Blood and in Camp Jupiter. You got grievances with the gods? Go talk to them. Don't be a bitch and do all this stupid passive-aggressive shit." I put a hand to my forehead and sighed.

"Never mind. You're not worth my anger. Just know that you can't convince me to do anything. Anusha and Tlatoany literally gave me life. They brought me out of a coma. You genuinely don't have anything that would make me want to betray them and join your bullshit movement. You can't convince me that your cause is better than mine. And on that note, get up. You're gonna give me what I asked for. Now. I'm going with you because I don't trust you anymore."

Mr. Graves' eyes grew misty and weak, face slacking with heartache. He'd practically taught me everything I knew as a kid. I stopped learning from him after finishing elementary school. And my mother and Uncle never missed an opportunity to spend time with him and invite him to family functions.

But now? I couldn't feel pity for him. I had felt so excited and happy to meet my old teacher again. I wanted to tell him all about my adventures since discovering he was also a part of the demigod world. But he broke my heart when he came out as a maniacal follower of some crazy dictator-esque lady. And then I realized: I could only trust my family and Anusha and Tlatoany. Everyone else had to be put under a microscope. Until they gave me significant reason to doubt them, I'd trust only my loved ones.

So, when he realized he couldn't change my mind, he looked carefully at Anusha. "The gods let your people be slaughtered. They allowed for what was basically genocide. They destroyed your ancestors with their inaction. You can make sure it never ever happens again. You can protect the future generations of Sminthians, Anusha. You have that power. You can make all of them pay. Why should you have to defend the ones who ruined everything for your people? And I don't just mean the Sminthians." My savior's eyes widened, and her jaw tightened.

"I mean your home country. Your direct lineage. The gods, by allowing the demise of the Sminthians, allowed Europe to wreak havoc on the rest of the world, ruining centuries upon centuries of other civilizations' development and history."

Anusha's face grew redder with each moment, and it took everything I had to not move out of my spot and grab her by the shoulders to shake her until she snapped out of her funk.

For a horrifying moment, Anusha's eyes wetted. I wanted to scream, but my voice was stuck. She began to tilt her head down and cry without making a single noise. And she gave Mr. Graves a heartbroken, pained look. "Is that a guarantee or a guess?" I reached a hand out to her, and she ignored me. My breath froze in my throat.

He smiled warmly, standing with confidence, despite my sword still being pointed at him. "That's a vow." He tucked into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The man dialed some phone number really quickly, fingernails clacking on the glass of the smartphone's screen as he typed. He held the device up to his ear and hummed in affirmation at what the person on the other side asked.

The tutor-turned-traitor held the phone out to Anu, who grasped it with quaking hands. Mr. Graves took a seat and sipped his tea. She walked to the window behind him and looked out of it. One hand held the phone to her head while the other remained at her back.

Relief flooded my body like a dam breaking during monsoon season. Anu had crossed her fingers behind her back, and Mr. Graves was none the wiser. Tlato and I secretly smirked at one another. Our friend was much smarter than she gave herself credit for.

"Hello?" Anusha nearly toppled over when the person responded. And with a growl of defiance, she rose to her feet and hissed in a tone that had me wanting to run away to my mother. In fact, the whole room began stinking of sulfur, rotting flesh, and what could only be described as suffering.

"I know exactly who you are, Ash. Your own foolish little henchman told me. I know you, and I am coming for you. Neither Zeus, nor Ouranos, nor Fate can protect you from me. You will regret ever having betrayed me. The countdown begins now." Tears streaked down her cheeks, and her voice dropped half an octave. "Say goodbye to your dreams. To your power. To your future. It all ends with me, liar. It will always end with me. Always."

When we turned back to him, Mr. Graves crumbled to the ground, as if pretending to beg for mercy. Anusha threw the phone right at his head, smirking when it bounced off the back of his cranium.

"Too bad so sad, Graves. Go get what Reggie asked for. You know what I'm capable of." When he didn't move, she snarled, voice deepening randomly. "GO."

He scrambled to his feet, avoiding her, and sprinted to his office to retrieve what I had asked for. Tlatoany gave Anu an unimpressed scowl. "What was all that about?"

She sighed. "I'll tell you once we're out of here." We huffed and let her go about getting her bag. Tlato and I had donned ours when she was on the phone.

Mr. Graves did return with the documents, but he also returned with a giant sword. He wiped at his mouth and sneered. "You're not the only ones with experience. I've been at this game before you kids were born."

Anusha laughed until she choked on her own spit for a few seconds. "Good for you, gramps." Mr. Graves gritted his teeth and scowled.

The three of us friends locked eyes and grabbed our weapons. I rushed him first, being the closest and fastest. While I kept him occupied with a bunch of high slashes and strikes that he barely blocked, Tlato lunged for his legs and toppled the old guy, then sitting on his back to keep him down. Anusha ran over to give him some kind of cough-based disease and snatched the papers and scrolls, tucking them into her bag. She smirked down at him.

"Buddy, you made a big mistake messing with the most powerful trio of demigods to be best friends since Percy Jackson and Nico di Angelo befriended Thalia Grace." Tlato groaned at the cheesy declaration and knelt down, eyes locked on Mr. Graves sternly.

"Did you give us everything we need, or have you hidden something from us?" His voice also deepened, and he smiled. "You know what Anu is capable of. If you push her, she'll get mad. Nobody should make her mad if they want to live to see tomorrow. You gave us everything we asked for?" When Mr. Graves' face paled at the truthful threat, he nodded, whimpering weakly as he coughed.

I could see the truth in his eyes, so I knelt down and spoke softly. "You betrayed me. You have been working for the very woman that wants to ruin Camp Half-Blood."

Tears burned in my eyes, but I didn't let them fall. I growled as threateningly as I could, which may or may not have worked. "If I ever see you again, you will regret having betrayed me and my mother and uncle and cousins in favor of helping some lying authoritarian maniac. I will make you sorry," I swore while standing up. Mr. Graves shivered and scooted back on the ground to avoid me as I got to my feet. Anusha rested a hand on my shoulder and guided me out.

My eyes kept focused on Mr. Graves, who turned his head to frown at me as my friends and I left.

Tlato returned his sword to his bag, and Anusha twirled her knives to bring back the drum sticks, which she fastened into her pants' belt loops. I hit the button on the base of the sword's hilt and kept the pocket watch on a chain I hung around my neck.

Anusha must have picked up on my dejected mood because she walked around to my right side and tossed an arm around my shoulders and kissed my cheek.

Tlato just patted my back. "I'm sorry, Reginald."

I smiled, trying to realize that being upset and sad wouldn't help us. So, I figured out some way to feel chill again. "It's not your fault. You didn't do this. I'm just glad I have you guys with me. I'm not entirely sure what I would have done if I were alone in there."

Poking my cheek, Anu joked, "Probably, you would've up and ran off."

"Ha ha, very funny, Rat Girl." She fake-winced at the retort, laughing. Tlato and I couldn't help joining in. We laughed all the way to the bus station to continue our journey.

Anu's smile disappeared once we began waiting for the bus to arrive. I dared to ask the question on my mind.

"Anu, who picked up the phone?"

Her breath shook, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "My mother."

* * *

She didn't say a word for the rest of the day, only nodding and shaking her head when we asked whether or not she wanted food and drink. Tlatoany and I didn't bother her, mostly out of respect. As far as we knew, Anusha's whole life was falling apart. We wouldn't put her under greater stress than already lived in her heart.

Eventually, we stepped off of the bus in Indianapolis after the driver took two more breaks in between. Anusha spent the eleven hours of the ride just looking out the window and listening to music loud enough for me to hear, even from my aisle seat. I worried about her, but she gave me no reason to interfere, eating when we did and drinking as much water as she could get. Even Tlato wasn't able to convince her to get some rest, and they were best friends.

With dim, loveless eyes, she would turn her head and watch me for a few minutes before letting her eyes wander through the window again. I couldn't understand what she was doing or why, but I knew she was probably thinking about her mother and why everything went wrong for herself.

Occasionally, I returned her looks, but she would avoid my eyes like I'd wronged her.

It didn't exactly hurt, but something felt wrong in my chest when she rotated her head to keep me out of her peripheral vision.

Tlatoany stayed there with her in body but not in spirit. He held onto her hand the entire time because if he let go, she'd dig her fingernails into her wrist to pick at the skin like she wanted to dig out her veins and arteries. And that had me so worried that I wanted to tie mittens to her hands to protect her, but she didn't seem to want to be near me.

I didn't express any of my concerns. Yeah, I know. I, an emotionally intelligent guy who cares way too much for people he barely knows and has never met before, end up not saying jack shit when I'm worried about my friend who literally saved my life? Sounds like an oxymoron. Believe me, I get it.

But Anusha didn't seem to want my help. And I was not about to force advice on her after knowing how she reacts to unwanted suggestions.

However, I also didn't want to make her resent me by prodding into her life and make the situation worse. Strangely enough, though, when the bus stopped for the last time before the final stretch, and Tlato got up to head to the bathroom, Anu reached over and took my hand.

She spoke like something had broken in her. Because something did break inside her. Her eyes filled with tears, and she whispered right in my ear. Heat rolled off of her and warmed my face.

"I'm trying to not look you in the face because your family friend ruined everything, and I don't want to look at you while thinking of him because that might make me hate you. I've been reevaluating everything about my brain and how I think, and I feel like I'm so fucked. I'm scared that I won't know to not judge or resent you for what he did." Her confession broke my heart, I won't lie.

But she leaned in closer and kissed my cheek, tears still flowing down hers. And it took all I had in me to not hug her until she didn't cry anymore.

And when she pulled back, I tried to smile as comfortingly as possible. She smiled back through the tears, and all I could say (because I'm a total dumbass) was, "You should do commercials for Colgate! Your teeth are so white!"

Her face slacked for a moment, out of surprise, I assume. Her tears stopped too. I took that as a temporary victory. Anusha gaped at me for an entire minute. But then, her open mouth slid up and morphed into a grin, and she then tossed her head back and laughed so hard she scared a little kid in the seat behind her, startling him awake from his nap. The mom glared daggers into the back of Anu's head, but my friend didn't seem to care. She laughed until she couldn't breathe and had to cling to the armrest to not fall forward.

She rubbed at her eyes and kept chuckling and snorting, even after Tlatoany came back and settled into his chair. His expression made it seem like he saw a ghost, he was so baffled.

Anusha got up and leaned over our giant friend, and pressed a hand to my left cheek. She began kissing my right cheek several times, making me turn red from my chest all the way to my hairline. A few guys in the aisle seats noticed and began murmuring and laughing amongst themselves at seeing my face. One of them even whistled, winking at Anusha. She only pulled back when she was completely done. She wore this kind of cocky satisfaction on her face as she winked back at the guys across the aisle. The guy who whistled laughed, standing up and leaning over to bump fists with her, Anu's smile bright enough to blind the gods themselves.

"Your boyfriend?" the guy asked in a very distinctive dude-bro voice.

She shook her head, snorted. "Not exactly. More like a platonic soulmate. I saved this guy, and now we're besties. It just be like that, ya know?"

Gravely, he nodded, smiling back at her with a chipped tooth. "Yeah. I get that. One of these fucks got me out of a big issue with the pigs, and I've been hanging around 'em since."

Anu giggled sweetly, nodding her head while listening to his tale. I just huffed, pouting at Tlatoany and complaining about the kisses (because I blushed like a firetruck) and then about how much better she is at getting along with strangers.

Tlato just patted my shoulder. "I know how you feel. She'll probably do that a few more times until she's used to you. And she's just like that. She's a social butterfly of the scariest kind. You and your siblings got nothing on her, man. Also, what exactly did you say to make Anu react like that?!" He raised a strong eyebrow at me, one corner of his lips pulled up high in amusement. "I've never seen her go from emotional breakdown to probably dying of laughter so fast."

I shrugged awkwardly, looking at the ground. "All I said was that she should do Colgate commercials because she smiled and I saw how super white her teeth are, and then she started laughing."

"…Huh. I mean, you're not wrong." He snickered when Anu smacked his shoulder.

"Shut it, sunshine. You should work with L'Oréal or something. You and your fancy-ass hair."

Tlato huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Think of a better compliment, man. Come on." Anu rolled her eyes and scooted closer, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Fine. Your hair really is beautiful. I feel like half of Camp has hair envy because of you," she praised with a smirk. Tlatoany hummed and nodded slowly, looking over at me.

"And you? What do you think about my hair?"

I smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I'm with Anu. You've got the prettiest hair I've ever seen, and I live in a city like LA, home to some of the prettiest women in the world," I promised. Tlato flushed a faint red and looked away, blushing deeper when Anu mumbled something to him in Spanish.

He pushed her face away when she made this shit-eating grin. "Shut up. Oh my god, I hate you sometimes."

She just laughed and rolled her eyes. "Suuuuure," came her sarcastic retort.

The three of us tried to enjoy the rest of the ride, despite the looming sense of dread that hung over us. Mr. Graves was just one man who knew about Anusha and the other Sminthians. There were others who knew about her predecessors in great detail. So, either these people knew exactly what to expect from us and could take down the strongest of our trio without much worry, or they feared us enough to stay away from us because of Anusha's powers.

Eventually, we fell asleep, but not before taking the caffeine pills Anusha brought with her to keep us awake and alert in case of any monster attacks. We couldn't afford to pass out while traveling on a bus with non-demigod humans who can't fight off evil creatures of destruction.

Just like one of my many bus rides with Izzy, a massive thumping woke all three of us. A monster attack. I could recognize that sound anywhere. But this was loud enough to frighten the other passengers, all of whom began screaming. Even the bus driver seemed to freak out secretly at the sudden weight on top of the vehicle. Anu and Tlato locked eyes, murmuring softly amongst themselves before looking over at me silently. I couldn't understand their stares for a while.

And then it hit me that, in that moment, I was the expert that had to deal with the situation. I explained in feather-soft tones, "Monster. Doesn't sound like a hellhound, which is the one that attacked mine and Izzy's bus a few weeks ago. Don't know what it is, but this is a good enough diversion to sneak out without anyone noticing. But before that, Anu, can you dissolve this thing?"

She bit her lip, closing her eyes and furrowing her brows. The heat of her powers radiated off of her, but the nostril-burning stench of sulfur never followed. Maybe she was keeping it at bay to not further startle the other passengers. She gave me a hesitant frown, whispering back, "Not sure. This thing seems big, and I can't pull enough disease from the surrounding area. And the stuff I have now isn't strong enough to dissolve it from here. I'll need to head deeper into the woods to kill this thing."

I put my forehead in my hands, and she grinned in secret. "Maybe I don't need to! I'll knock everyone out. African sleeping sickness can do the job. I'll kill that thing and come back here. Amnesia might be able to keep this off of everyone's mind. We can pretend to be just as confused as everyone else, and it'll be a mystery to everyone but us," she suggested.

Tlato and I shared a look, and I grabbed her hands. "Do you promise to come back to us?" My eyes began burning, and I still don't know why. She was more powerful than both of us. She had a better chance of defeating this thing than either of us. "Do you promise?" She smiled at me and nodded, hugging me tightly.

"I promise." She turned around and pressed her cheek to Tlato's. A snap of her fingers and the other occupants of the bus fell asleep in what seemed like record time. The creature stilled at the sudden silence. Anu climbed over me, walked to the doors, and forced them open. The twirling of her drum sticks drew the attention of the massive pit scorpion, which clambered off of the roof of the bus and took a shot at her with its barbed tail.

Anu ran back and scrambled away, blowing a gust of plague gas at it. The creature hissed at the movement and sprinted after her, stinger hitting the ground rather than actually injuring my friend. She growled at it, arms wide and legs low, taunting it to follow her. She leapt out of the way as soon as it lunged forward. The thing trailed her into the forest, and it took Tlato gripping my hand and not letting me leave to prevent me from following after Anusha. I didn't know how well she could handle an entire monster on her own in the open like this. The last time she killed a monster was at Camp, when she was saving me and Izzy from hellhounds. And those things were babies.

After what felt like an eternity, our friend emerged from the forest, eyes manic with this weird kind of excitement. I only understood when I saw how confident she moved. She found a new disease. Or a new pathogen, I guess. Anu climbed back onto the bus and sat down again, explaining ecstatically how she discovered a strain of super-chicken pox that only she could take down because it wouldn't be vulnerable to antiviral medications for some reason. I didn't understand the science behind it (I'm more of a humanities kind of guy), but I was happy that she still found things to appreciate and love about the quest. I was just a ball of stress at that point.

With a slow inhale, she undid the disease-based sleeping spell she put on everyone, and the three of us pretended to wake up too, yawning and rubbing our eyes. Everybody seemed confused and awkward, but no one said anything. But just in case, Anu let out some of the brain damage stuff she kept in her knives after sparring sessions at Camp, which left people even more confused.

To make sure everything was handled and the monster attack unbeknown to the other passengers, Anu and I asked around if anyone remembered what had happened, and no one recalled anything. Relieved that her plan worked, Anu and I knocked out while Tlato stayed up to read some poetry book until the end of the trip.

When the bus stopped again, it was at the station, so we collected our belongings and climbed off, keeping a watchful eye on the other passengers and people milling around the area.

Anusha didn't seem particularly startled, but she jumped when I put a hand on her shoulder, so maybe she wasn't as relaxed as she appeared.

"Whoa! You okay?" I didn't want to force her to tell me anything, but I really was getting very worried about her, and I have a hard time hiding my emotions. My mom calls me an open book. My uncle calls me a poster.

She sighed, nodding her head. "Yeah. Just the adrenaline from the fight hasn't worn off yet. I think if I get a nice shower and sit down for a bit without worrying about our safety every five minutes, I can calm down." That made sense.

"Yeah, I get that. Don't worry, just one more hour of bus rides, and we can get a room for a few nights before continuing."

Anusha pouted at that, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why do we need to take buses and stuff? Is there really no faster way?"

I shook my head, tossing an arm around her shoulders while following Tlato. "Nope. Sorry, doll. Taxis are too slow. The Pegasi don't like you, no offense. And I'm not sure there's another way across the country since the railways aren't great in the US."

She rolled her eyes. "And why do you call me that?"

"What, 'doll'?"

She bobbed her head, keeping her eyes trained on the crowd. I spoke honestly. "Because you're as pretty and elegant as a doll. Most of the time. Other times you're more like one of those old-timey wrestlers. Just angry and strong enough to throw a tank at Jesus. But you're also sometimes like those people who do cool stunts for viral videos. Just interesting and startlingly talented."

Anusha tossed her head back and laughed before walking faster. She pulled me along. I guess she didn't want to get lost and lose Tlatoany again. "Wow, laying on the flattery real thick, aren't we? Is there something you want, sunshine?"

I grinned. "A binder would be nice because I can avoid the dysphoria, but also, I'm just telling the truth. You're very cool and funny and scary and sweet and nice. But also, sometimes, you just need to chill out. You seem stressed out all the time for no apparent reason." At that, Anusha rolled her eyes so hard, her eyeball muscles probably tore.

"It's called anxiety, dude."

"Oh yeah. Shit. Sorry."

"Can you idiots stay on track? I need you guys to help me find something," Tlato groused. We snickered at his grumbling tone and walked around him so each of us could hold one of his arms.

He only complained a little at that, maneuvering his arms so he could hold his phone and map and still let us hold onto him. "I'm looking for this symbol. Apparently, it's a tattoo worn by members of the Rejuvenation, and there's a company full of them. See if you can spot anything or anyone wearing this symbol." Anu and I got to work scanning our surroundings and walking around a bit to see if we could find anything that looked like what Tlato showed us.

But, frankly, it was really hard to find. When the three of us regrouped in front of an old abandoned warehouse a mile away from the bus station, Anusha explained what she saw. "It wasn't really the symbol itself, but it seemed important. I've come to trust my gut over most everything else, and I feel like this is important."

I turned to Tlatoany, who said nothing as our friend described her experience. "What do you think, man? Should we go check it out?"

He bit his lip and nodded. "Okay. Just. Make sure you guys are hyper aware of everything. We don't know this city, and I don't want to drag a monster into the open and endanger civilians." We agreed and let Anu lead the way. It was in a much darker part of town, random gaggles of young men hanging out in the shadows of the alleyways. Anusha didn't seem startled at all, just giving them a side-eye whenever one of them glared at us particularly hard. They only stepped back and returned to their business.

"What the fuck was that? Aren't you spooked? This place is full of sketchy people, and I'm not just saying that because every building seems rundown and the whole place looks to be deteriorating." I genuinely hoped these guys didn't think I was saying something classist or anything like that. That was not my intention, but I worried about what they thought of me. (Being a writer does not mean you're good at speaking too, you know.)

Anu snorted. "Why would I be? These are the same kinds of bitches I see in my hometown. And besides, I'm the most powerful person in this city right now. Why should I be scared?" I tried to not huff, but her overconfidence sometimes seemed really brash and irresponsible. Not that I would have said it to her face.

After a few turns into creepy alleyways and passing some random street corners, we saw what she had been describing to us. A massive old-school factory, with tall rusted doors and random heavy-duty machinery scattered all over the grass and surrounding areas. A horrifying chill ran up my back when I noticed how pitch-black the inside of the building was. Like ink, it seemed opaque. No light came in or left the building.

Anusha did nothing but stare up at the signage above the door, a painted capital omega cut right down the middle by the pole of a flag whose blood-red banner bore a black sickle crossed with a grey and white feather. To anybody else, it would look like random graffiti, considering how it was spray-painted on. But to my friend, it clearly meant something more.

Tlato placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise. He and I frowned together. "Anu, what happened?"

She shook her head and sighed. "Something just seems familiar about that symbol. I don't know what it is, but…"

I leaned over and looked her in the eyes. "Should we go in and investigate?"

She slowly nodded, biting her lip. And then, simultaneously, we had the same realization. The black sickle crossed with the white and grey feather…Tlatoany opened up his phone and showed us the symbol we were supposed to find. The three of us shared glances and pulled out our weapons.

Anusha stood still for a moment and drew the diseases in the surrounding area to her for defense. The purple light of her powers, which surprisingly are visible only to demigods, illuminated her face. I would say other people would feel unsettled if they saw it, but it was a comforting sight to me. Anu and her powers really became a point of protection and safety for me and Tlato, who'd come to rely on her because of her emotional and physical strength.

As the bravest of us, Tlato pushed the door open gently with one hand, avoiding the sharp and rusted edges, and took the first step inside. I followed, and Anu entered last, probably to defend against any attacks from behind her.

The only sounds in the entire factory came from our cautious, hesitant steps and labored breathing. Suddenly, a crashing sound of some kind. Anu ran off to explore and sighed in annoyance at seeing what had caused the noise. A bird had flown in, squeaking and singing before leaving again, as if it knew to not be here.

The three of us took our time to carefully walk around the machinery and equipment and search for anything that would indicate a human or demigod presence. All we saw was graffiti on the walls and some of the engines. And a few dead cigarette butts and packets of what could have been cocaine. Overall, it just seemed like an empty building where people liked to either get high or vandalize things. Nothing of substance.

Anu kept insisting that she knew we had to be there, that something was important about the place, but Tlato disagreed. I didn't know what to think, but I know I hated being in there.

Unfortunately, though, we didn't have much of a choice. Because when we approached the door to leave, a couple of monsters stepped in and closed the door behind them, growling and hissing. I recognized the clothes of the guys Anu had stared down, and I immediately regretted ever having agreed to her plan.

She rolled her eyes and groaned. "Come on, assholes. I haven't even eaten yet, and you're already here for a fight?!"

One of them, a ten-foot-tall giant of some sort, smirked with his ugly teeth. The same kind of monster as that fake old man who had driven me and Izzy through New York. "We have to eat too, don't we?" Tlato gripped his sword in both hands, gritting his teeth. He spun it around a few times. I could only stand stiffly, almost dropping my blade a few times. Anu, on the other hand, had the same cocky body language she almost always does.

I couldn't tell if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but I trusted that if anything went wrong, she could handle it. She would handle it. Not because she was the best fighter, but because her plagues would wipe out anything that scares us.

With a shared glance of agreement, Anusha, Tlatoany, and I stood our ground. I prepared myself to go at the highest speed I could manage. Sadly, I had undergone less training with my powers and abilities than Anu and Tlato, who readied themselves silently. Anu drew the diseases of our surroundings to us, while Tlato started muttering under his breath, eyes shifting at lightspeed to analyze the monsters' movements. The creatures lunged first, claws and swords swinging.

Anusha handled the giant while Tlato and I handled the dracaenas and the weird dog-men that had been secretly masquerading as normal gangsters. For some reason, they undid their illusions before starting the fight. Maybe so they could relish in seeing our fear and fright. Hey, that rhymes!

Anyways, I couldn't pay much attention to how my friends were fighting with how busy I was trying to take down the two dog-dudes that had decided I would be a great snack. Thankfully, my speed let me evade their teeth and claws, but my sword bounced off their skin like it was nothing. It wasn't because their skin is impenetrable but because I had no idea how to use my sword.

It took me and Izzy and a clever little plan to defeat a dracaena. And it took my speed, Izzy's supersonic screeches, and Anusha's uncontrolled plagues to take down the hellhounds that tracked me all the way to Camp.

These dog-men constantly baffled me. But at one point, I recognized a key flaw in their fighting. They were a pack. They fought just like wolves do: together. So, if I could separate them, maybe I would have a better chance of taking them down! And besides, fighting one monster at a time is easier than fighting several at once. Anu seemed to know that too.

In the middle of slashing at one of them, I slid under his legs, which I soon regretted. Just like a lot of cis guys in America, these things did not bathe. I wanted to puke at the stench but kept running forward and around, hiding in the machinery. Enraged, the leader of the pack ordered the others to hunt me down. And just like I'd hoped, each of those monsters came after me individually.

I had been hiding behind a few of the large industrial vats probably used in melting metal scraps or something, and I think the monsters began smelling me because two of those things actually found me. I waited behind a different part of the equipment and whistled when the dog-men got close enough.

Claws outstretched, they ran at me, but I was too fast for them. I decided to take a page out of the comic books I read as a kid and ran through and around the two of them, keeping them isolated but slicing through their skin every time I came close. Their roars weren't as loud as I thought they'd be, but eventually, they got tired. Losing all that ichor must have drained them or something because by the time I landed my last two big hits, they burst into dust just like that snake lady Izzy and I took down.

I took a moment to pause and catch my breath before continuing. With newfound confidence and courage, I went after the last two dog-men on my own, making one of them chase me and then taking him out with a few specific slashes through his neck and back. But the last one seemed to be smarter and bigger than the rest. The few scratches he made in my side burned like hydrochloric acid dropped into an open flesh wound.

Having taken out their opponents, Anu and Tlatoany came to my rescue, cutting through the dog-man and making him burst into a puff of smoke with a bunch of random diseases. I dropped to the ground like a rock soon after, too tired from the excessive running. Anusha laughed, patting my cheek as she knelt down and began working on my injuries. "Be careful, dumbass."

Tlato smirked down at me, still standing. He leaned against a wall of the building with both arms crossed. "This is probably the first time I've seen you run like that. I mean, you probably could use some more training, but I have a feeling you know how to train with your powers, track star."

I rolled my eyes. "Lay off, bud. I haven't run like that since I was saving…" I got quiet. I couldn't finish that sentence. Where there was supposed to be a heart, only felt a hole in my chest that was partly filled with guilt. Anusha seemed to understand, squeezing my shoulder as she helped me up. Tlato's face softened, and the two of them pulled me into a hug.

Anu murmured gently, raking her fingers through my hair, "I swore by the Styx to my father that I would bring Izzy back. And I will. Even if I don't survive. Even if everything else goes to shit, we'll save Izzy. That is the one thing I know we can and will do, or so help me Fate."

I pressed my face into Tlatoany's shoulder, and he rubbed my back in silence, sighing like the wind during summer: sweet, sad, soft. "You'll be okay. We'll get her back. We won't lose Anu, but we'll definitely get Izzy back. I promise." With a pat to my back and a careful smile, Tlato held out my bag to me and grabbed my hand. "Let's keep going. We've got a lot of area to cover before we should take our next break. And I think you said something about getting a chest binder from the store or something. Anu?"

She grinned. "Compression sports bra. Let's go get that now. After, ya know, cleaning up a little." Sniffling, I rubbed my eyes and nodded.

"Let's find a hotel. And from there, we can go get some food and that sports bra you were talking about." Arms around one another's shoulders, the three of us strolled out of the old factory in silence, until Anusha stopped.

Her face contorted into a sneer, and she grabbed an old bottle of spray paint left outside the door and drew on the door itself a symbol. A snake coiled around a sun made of a circle surrounded by seven triangles, and one of her knives on the snake's left and pointing upwards, and the other on the snake's right pointed downwards. And under that, in Malayalam, I believe, she wrote out a word.

When I asked what the word was, she smirked. "Rajachari."


	20. Izzy's Kidnapper Loves Mint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone. I'm just putting a little warning here! 
> 
> SEXUAL ASSAULT CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNING:   
THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS AN INSTANCE WHERE SEXUAL ASSAULT IS MENTIONED. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF SEXUAL ASSAULT OR SIMILAR TOPICS CAUSE YOU DISTRESS OR TRAUMA. AGAIN, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER IF SEXUAL ASSAULT TRIGGERS YOU. I WILL MAKE SURE THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE EASILY UNDERSTOOD EVEN WITHOUT READING THIS CHAPTER.

We strolled back to the bus stop and looked for a taxi to take us to a hotel. The driver, a young woman with blue hair and the prettiest brown eyes I'd ever seen, smiled welcomingly at us and nodded. "Hey, guys. Aren't you three a little too young to be traveling alone with no parent supervision?"

Anusha just shrugged, grinning at her. "Yes, yes we are."

"Where to, guys?"

I spoke for us, smiling sweetly in that way most 'good kids' do when speaking to adults. "The Quarry Hotel, please! The one on Fourteenth Street. Thank you!"

With a quick nod, the woman pulled into the main road and went about her business, checking the street before turning and switching lanes. Anu kept a careful eye on her, but Tlato and I relaxed. I had a feeling it was partly her new mistrust of women because of her mother's betrayal, but that might also have been me looking too deep into it.

When the taxi pulled to a stop in front of the hotel, I paid the woman with my card. I think she had Square or whatever that mobile credit card swiper thing is called, and she thanked us with a smile. Anusha just frowned and got out of the car silently after Tlatoany, biting her lip. Tlato thanked her too, waving as she drove away. He and I turned to stare at Anu as we entered the hotel. "Anu, what was that? Aren't you usually the one that's all manners and big smiles?"

She shook her head, scowl still carved into her face. "That woman smelled like a monster."

I choked on my spit. "I'm sorry, what-"

Anu sighed, wrapping both arms around herself. "She smelled like a monster. I said what I said. I could smell it on her. She must have smelled me too, though. That's why she left us alone."

Tlato huffed at her response but chose to not comment too harshly. "You've been able to smell monsters, and you didn't warn us back in that factory?"

She let out an irritated groan, shaking her head. "I don't know how to explain it, okay?! I just…I don't know how to tell you what it's like. But suddenly, as if my sense of smell suddenly returned after a cold, I could smell her. Like burnt sewage and old gym socks. I could just tell."

I raised an eyebrow at that, now wondering what else her nose told her. "What do I smell like?!"

A smirk. "Axe body spray. And sugar cookies at Christmas time. Oh, and like, new clothes. That's a weird one."

Tlatoany also asked what he smelled like. She grinned at that. "You smell like pine, campfires in general, and something sweet. Maybe cinnamon. Or possibly vanilla. Some kind of confection." He smiled wide, sniffing at his shirt to see if he could smell that. To his disappointment, he could not.

"How are you able to smell all that on us?" I wondered aloud, poking at her nose. Anusha smacked my hand away but offered her theory.

"I think it's about the things you spend the most time around. Tlatoany spends a lot of time training in camp around the forest and hangs around the amphitheater a lot. And he uses this really nice body wash that's like a mild vanilla scent or something. I've noticed it before. And you, Reggie, you smell like what you smell like because you have a lot of fancy clothes and love dessert. And I think you use fuckboy deodorant."

I couldn't help but laugh at her response and nodded in agreement. "I mean, you're not wrong. What do you smell like?"

She shrugged. "How the fuck would I know? Anyways, let's go. I don't like being out in the open. Too vulnerable, honestly."

Something about that clicked for me. Maybe it was the part about being vulnerable, but I started piecing together Anusha's mindset and mentality.

Tlato didn't seem to notice anything, though, so we kept going, and the two besties followed me inside, clinging onto one another's hands for some reason. Anu probably needed the reassurance because she'd rarely been away from her mother without any other adult supervision. And Tlatoany probably wanted to feel safe in a city where there were probably no Native American people whatsoever. I mean, no one can provide better safety than anusha, who could literally wipe out half a small country with an angry huff. Still, I thought it strange that the strongest (physically, not magically) and smartest member of our trio was so nervous.

I tried not to focus on that too much and handled getting the room on my own, letting them stand behind me and just stay quiet. I hated that because of the social implications, but they didn't seem keen on talking. But Anu kept glaring, just at anyone who came near her and Tlatoany. They hurried away when they caught her eyes.

The man behind the desk gave me a weird look but quickly focused on his work when he saw my credit card, eyes flitting back and forth between my face and his computer. I spoke to my friends when the guy turned around to get a key from the board. "Anu, what's wrong? Why are you scowling so much?"

She just shook her head. "I'll tell you once we get inside," came her icy response. She kept one hand on my shoulder with the other squeezing Tlato's. He and I said nothing, just taking comfort in her iron grip and radiant heat. The receptionist handed me the key we needed, smiling nervously as we walked away. And when I turned to glance at him as we hurried to the elevator, I saw him speaking on the phone to someone, eyes frantic. I hated that. I didn't trust that.

When my friends and I found our room, - after a lot of getting lost, actually - we sat down and spoke, having sensed Anu's hesitant energy.

Tlato and I looked at her cautiously, not taking a moment to waste on unpacking. She spoke stiffly, sitting down on the chair slowly. "This whole place reeks of mint."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that like it's a bad thing? Mint smells good! Well, kinda. It just smells fresh."

Inhaling deeply, Anu locked eyes with us, lips pursed. "You guys remember when I said we had to go into that factory?"

"And then had us fight for our lives against those monsters? Yeah, I haven't forgotten," Tlatoany huffed.

"I realize now why that place seemed so familiar to me. Mint. It was the smell of mint. The whole place reeked of it, like someone had dumped mint perfume all over the building. And just now, when I was waiting behind you, Reggie, I smelled mint around me everywhere."

I groaned. "Anu, why are you basing your gut instinct on mint?"

She threw her arms up. "Okay! Let me finish! Oh my fucking god. Okay. So the reason I say all that mess is that my mother was obsessed with mint. She refused to wear any perfume that didn't smell at least a little bit of mint. I'm ninety percent sure that my mother, who is the supreme ruler of all control freaks, would force her followers to wear mint or smell of mint to know who they are. Or she would force it on them. I, personally, hated mint. The only flowery scent I ever liked was jasmine. And rose. Those were my favorites."

My face frowned before I could control it. "Are you sure?"

Anu bobbed her head in agreement, lips pulled into a scowl. "Without a doubt. My mother was obsessive about some things. Primarily, the way she smelled, and the way she sounded. She would teach me different voices. Leader voice. Follower voice. Teacher voice. Mother voice. Doctor voice. Lawyer voice. I learned a lot. And smell? Only mint. Always mint. I don't know what that was about, but I have no doubt in my mind that she's incorporated mint into her whole mess."

I bit my lip, nodding at her. "Um, so how do we know it's them if we see one?"

She sighed. "This whole place is crawling with her agents. I'm probably the only one who can smell them. Delos, baby, come out please." The snake hissed a greeting, slithering out of her clothes and hanging around her neck to greet us. "Delos will be able to tell you, but he doesn't particularly like or trust either of you at the moment. For now, we just need to stick together and trust my nose."

Tlatoany gazed at both of us closely, eyes narrowed. He breathed out an exasperated sigh. "How much can we bet that the guy was calling other members of the army?"

My face went into my hands. This situation kept on getting worse. "A hundred percent."

"So," Anu began, "Do we stay, or do we go?"

She and I turned to Tlato, who bit his lip, kept quiet for a solid three minutes, and responded after going through his plans, I think. "We stay. Two days. Reggie needs his binder, and all of us need rest. Anu can keep us safe. We'll sleep in rounds. We go shopping and get everything we need today. Otherwise, eight-hour shifts of staying awake. We leave tomorrow." Agreeing with the plan, we got refreshed and relaxed before heading out to the store.

We brought all our stuff along for the trip since none of us trusted the staff here. Once again, as we left the room, Anu glared away anyone who smelled to her like an enemy. One tall businessman got especially close, so Anusha bared her teeth, gold-spotted eyes starting to shimmer green as she drew disease to her. His eyes widened, chin quivering with fear. She hissed at him (literally!), and the guy sprinted away like an Olympic athlete. I couldn't help but laugh at that. "I love watching you strike the fear of God into grown-ass adults," I admitted.

Anu just winked and smirked. I would be lying if I said my heart didn't hurt a little at seeing that smile melt into something painful and sad. She said nothing, but I could see it on her face. This girl wore her heart on her sleeve.

Tlatoany leaned over and murmured something in her ear, making her chuckle and hum. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, and Anu shoved at his shoulder. "Shut it, drama queen. We all know how you reacted when you saw me again after that friendship hiatus."

"Oof!" he exclaimed with fake surprise as we strolled to the elevator. "You didn't have to do me like that, Anu."

"You guys are weird," I commented before I could shut myself up. I could already feel the guilt and embarrassment setting in, but they just shrugged.

"Weird is a social construct, and so is everything else," Anu resigned. Fair enough. The elevator opened, and the three of us hurried in, but not before a young man with blonde hair and the most charming smile I'd ever seen on a human being.

He slid right in front of the doors and tried to put a hand between them to make sure they wouldn't close. "Sorry, guys! Could I get inside? Kind of in a hurry," he pleaded with a sheepish grin. I nodded and pressed the button to open the doors, and he stepped in with a kind of bounciness in his gait. I could appreciate that. Takes a lot of energy to even walk happy.

But to my horror, Anusha pressed herself into one corner of the elevator, tears rising in her eyes. She said nothing, just shaking and shivering as she watched the guy. I couldn't understand what that was about. He seemed fairly normal. He was taller than me, but not taller than Tlato. Wavy blonde hair, really pretty brown eyes, even the same tan skin as Apollo's! Hell, he could have been a child of Apollo if he were a demigod. "Name's Leroy. Nice to meet you guys!"

Leroy held a hand out to me, and I shook it, smiling. "Nice to meet you! Name's Reggie. You from around here? I mean, not sure why you'd be living in a hotel if that was the case, but…"

He laughed. "No worries, man. Yeah, I'm from around here. Moved here only two years ago, though, so I haven't had a chance to travel much and see the town. You?"

I grinned. "Just a little cross-country trip with my friends. This is Tlato, and in the corner over there is Anu."

The guy leaned back and waved to my friends with a warm smile lining his cheeks. "A pleasure!" He moved forward again and patted my shoulder. "Just be careful, though. Heard there's been a recent spike in the crime rate around the city. Don't stay out too late, yeah?"

"Yeah, for sure. Thanks, man." I nodded, and he got off on the third floor. Two floors to go before we could head out to the store. After he left, the doors closed again, and Anu crumbled to the ground, hugging her knees and shaking like a leaf in strong winds. My stomach plummeted all the way down to my knees. She wouldn't respond to any of Tlato's questions, just pushing him away weakly and crying like a lost child who was too stubborn to show their fear. But I could see the fear in her eyes. When we had to leave the elevator, she rubbed away her tears, removed any sign that she'd been crying, and walked out with a mask to hide her feelings. I had no clue what had happened, but apparently neither did Tlatoany because he stared at me, eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't know either, man…" he promised sadly. We followed her, staying close behind so she wouldn't run off without us. She had a habit of sprinting away if she felt hurt or scared.

While we waited to get a taxi, I kept prodding at her, trying to get her to tell us what had happened. When I finally got on her nerves, she shoved me away, hugging her hoodie closer to her and pulling the hood over her head. "Don't fucking talk to me." And then she was quiet for the rest of the ride. Even when I tried to apologize, she hid from me and curled into a ball on the seat.

Something had scared her about that interaction with Leroy. I couldn't deduce what had happened, but thank the gods she told us eventually. Eventually meaning after we entered Chicago and found her friends.

* * *

Let me give you a quick overview of what happened that day!

Okay. We found a mall downtown with the exact store Anu wanted to go to in New York. She found the exact sports bra thing she said I needed. I bought it. We went to a store to get more food supplies and medicine and first aid supplies. We bought everything we needed and then got lunch at a nice diner and then went back to the hotel room. Anusha had a mental breakdown in the bathroom and cried for an entire two hours on her own. Neither Tlato nor I dared to go in because we had a feeling this was a bigger issue than she would admit. She told us that it was nothing, but I knew that was a lie.

Eventually, nighttime arrived. After eating a dinner of the stuff we got from the convenience store, it was time for bed. We did our night shifts, and Tlato and I stayed up for the first eight hours, knowing how tired our friend was. Anu slept on the couch because she was too scared to sleep on the second bed in the room and passed out from exhaustion. I just sat with my back to the corner of the wall next to the window and watched the door. He sat at the door and watched the window. I wanted to comfort her, stay at her side, but I knew from her behavior that day that it would only make her feel worse.

As the night progressed, my eyes started to burn, and I could feel the fear setting in. Something had gone extremely wrong with Anusha. She was fine all day, but since Leroy, she'd been acting erratic, like she'd seen a ghost. I didn't want to mess with her, knowing her temper and her power, but I wanted my friend to feel safe and happy. She was neither of those things. Tlato said nothing, keeping his focus on her while still watching the window behind me. 

Eventually, the time came for us to switch shifts, and Anu stayed awake, sitting in the middle of the room between the door and window to keep an eye on both. Tlatoany and I slept like babies, unafraid of anything except our friend's impending meltdown. We knew something big was coming. Something bad.

Anusha woke up even worse than before. Instead of showing any kind of emotion, she woke up with a face like static. Like nothing. Like she was just a husk of herself: no life, no youth, no power. Nothing. And that terrified me more than her angry face.

"Anu? You- are you okay? Did something happen?" I tried to ask gently. I didn't want her to get angry like yesterday.

She shook her head, pushing herself up to stand. "No. I'm fine."

We went about our ways, going to the bathroom to freshen up before bed and change our clothes. Anu avoided touching us altogether, as if afraid to catch the plague, which made no sense. How is a plague-bringer afraid of stuff like that when that is their entire thing? We gave her the space she wanted, but we didn't know how to help her beyond letting her feel secure and safe in the distance. After Tlato and I finished our nighttime routines, Anu went inside the bathroom and locked the door behind her before having another cry session. She broke down completely, sobbing and slamming her hands into the counter, only to sit and scream into the towels provided by the hotel. Tlatoany and I sat tersely the entire time, too afraid to speak.

"We can't just sit here while she suffers, Reginald. We have to do something. Can we call anyone?" 

I sighed, shrugging my shoulders. "I highly doubt it. I don't think her siblings know anything about this, and I'm pretty sure Apollo doesn't know either. Anu's the only one with knowledge about this. Maybe we could do some research and try to figure out if this is in the public record? Maybe a harassment case or something?"

Nodding in agreement, Tlato pulled out his phone, and I did the same, opening up an internet browser to try and learn more about our friend. I searched for the terms "Anusha Rajachari" and "Chicago". The only result that came up was the worst one possible. 

Tlato peeked over my shoulder and clapped his hand over his mouth at the sight.

An article from a newspaper in Chicago detailed the case that Anusha Rajachari and her mother brought against Anu's middle school for ignoring a case of sexual assault. Specifically, Anu had been assaulted by a kid in her school. The administration had promised to do some kind of investigation and never went through with it because the boy's father employed a couple hundred people in the city at his factory. Any action taken against his son would have jeopardized those people's livelihood. Anusha finally decided to end the case because it was bringing her and her mother too much negative attention. At the end, she moved schools and found a new place. They had judged her just as cruelly, and she spent the last two months of middle school at home, doing online classes to avoid the other students. The newspaper outlined the horror of the entire case but stated that Anusha's current school had completely ignored her defamed reputation and welcomed her lovingly. I sighed in relief at that: at least now, she was safe.

I gaped at the realization. She had been fine until meeting Leroy. And after that, she reacted by completely breaking down. Was that guy the one who...?

My much smarter friend came to that same conclusion much earlier because he stood up and made a call to his human father. "Tetat," Tlato began, "who do we know in Chicago that handles sexual assault cases?"

I myself had no such connections or intelligence, but I made a call to my mother. "Reginald, mon petit, what happened? Are you okay? How are you? What's going on?"

I rubbed my temples and spoke softly so Anu couldn't hear. "Maman, I'm fine. I'm okay. I'm in a hotel right now with my quest mates. We're a long bus ride away from my savior's hometown. But don't worry about all that. That's not why I called. I need your help. My friend had to deal with a big sexual assault issue, Mom. But she dropped the case because of all the negative press, and she needed to switch schools to avoid her abuser. Promise me you'll fund her fight, Mom. I know I don't ever make big requests or orders like that, and I'm not trying to be rude, but..."

Mom spoke with a smile in her voice. "I promise I will. I've never heard you speak like this before. I will provide the funds for her to find justice."

I smiled. "Thanks, Maman. I'll call you back soon, and we can talk through everything. But get some rest for now. I love you. I hope I can see you soon. Stay safe!"

She laughed and blew me a kiss over the phone before promising to wait for my call. I hung up and stared at Tlato as he cut his own call to his dad. He wrapped me up in a hug, and I wanted to scream with anger for my friend's suffering. I couldn't believe what she had to deal with in middle school. SHE WASN'T EVEN AN ADULT YET! I couldn't understand how cruel the world was to her. How heartless and monstrous. Anu eventually stepped out of the bathroom, looking freshly showered and freshly depressed. We kept an eye on her as she walked around the room listlessly, eyes dim and downturned. 

"Anu...honey, are you okay?"

She ignored me at first and responded only after taking a seat on the couch and drinking some water. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

That didn't sound convincing to either me or Tlatoany, who walked over to hug her. She started shaking her leg and scratching at the armrests, clearly uncomfortable with him approaching her. Tlato slowed down, putting both hands up gently. "It's okay. I got you. It's okay." And eventually, he reached her, resting a hand on her shoulder. Anusha's previously expressionless face morphed into sheer terror, and she let out a scream, shoving him away and stumbling to the ground to scramble over to the door. Tlato stopped in his tracks, his own mahogany eyes wide. If she'd been any less aware, she would have injured herself from bumping into the couch and coffee table near the door. But she carefully crawled to the door on hands and knees, burying her face in both hands. With shivering shoulders, she pressed her back into the wood of the only entrance and exit from the room, her eyes frantic and eyebrows extremely furrowed.

There was nothing familiar about my friend. Not anymore. Her usually warm skin seemed a bit more gray and ashy from the friction against the rough carpet, and her hair had gotten completely loose and out of place, falling out of her bun chaotically. Even her eyes seemed dimmer and more like those of a frightened prey animal. Her eyes lost the toughness, the confidence they usually held.

Everything about Anu seemed off, and I didn't know what to do about it. I just stood like an idiot next to the bed I'd been occupying while Tlatoany tried to reach out for her and comfort her. Tears streamed down her face, and she pulled harshly at her blue T-shirt and black skinny jeans, as if trying to rip them open to dig her nails into her skin. 

"Anusha-" She kept screaming despite him trying to call her name. She sobbed and scratched at her face and arms and chest, warding us away with her plagues.

Tlato's heart must have completely broken because he fell to his knees, tears flowing down his face at the sight of his best friend cornered against the door like a caged animal. I pulled myself out of my random stupor and lunged for his bag. This was the reason Apollo gave us that necklace. This was the right moment. I pulled at the straps and opened up the pack, tearing through his items to find the velvet jewelry box secretively. Anusha had pulled herself into a ball, knees up to her chest and hands outstretched to maintain the sphere of plague gas enveloping her. The rough carpet had scratched her bare arms and feet, and my heart ached for how she tore at her skin like there was something under it. I threw the necklace at her, and the stone in the center of the pendant collected all the plague gas, glowing a brilliant green after the sphere disappeared.

Anu calmed down immediately and sniffled, sobbing openly now. We crawled forward and pulled her into a hug. I didn't know how to help her. I didn't know what had even happened, but before I knew it, the three of us were clinging to one another and sobbing like idiots. Tlato and I glanced at each other and swore to pretend that we didn't know anything about Anu's assault so she wouldn't feel like we'd gone behind her back. We wanted her to trust us, and that meant she couldn't know that we knew. So, we pretended. Easy enough, or so I assumed. It was hard to hide my fears about her safety. It was hard to pretend that we had no clue what happened to her because we so badly wanted to avenge her and get her the justice she deserved.

Tlatoany sniffled and cradled her in his arms, sighing softly, and hugged her close. "Oh, sweetie, Anu. What happened just now?" I was a little amused. I'd never heard him call anyone 'sweetie'. But maybe it was just because she had kind of lost her mind a little bit. "Anu, I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong…"

She sniffled, burying her face in his chest. Only after I stroked a hand through her hair and begged her to tell us did she at least respond. "After we get to my hometown. I'll tell you. Just…get me out of here, Tlato." Her eyes welled up, and my throat tightened. Her trauma was eating her alive. "Get me home. Please…" She kept crying, and I just held onto her like he did. We hugged her close until our limbs started hurting.

Anu pulled me into a hug as we stood, arms curving around my torso and face pressed into my neck. She breathed and then sniffled. "I'm sorry I got mad at you. I didn't mean to be mean…I just…"

I held her close, rubbing her back. "Hey, hey, don't worry about it, okay? I understand you were dealing with something big. I trust you to tell us only when you're ready, yeah? I get it. I'm sorry for pushing you to tell us when you couldn't. That was wrong of me to do." She accepted the apology by squeezing me and smiling as she pulled back, fixing her hair.

"Thank you for that…" I returned her smile and nodded.

"Apologies may not fix everything, but they at least feel nice, right?" We packed our bags and items in soft silence, ready to leave the city and never come back. To our great displeasure, we saw Leroy again. This time, even I could see why Anu felt uncomfortable around him. He leered at her the entire ride to the first floor. No comments, but he just stared at her like she was a piece of meat. Tlato wrapped a tight arm around her waist, and spoke in that tone he did when he wanted to scare off people: soft and calm but with an undertone that if you pushed him, he'd make you cry for the protection of nonexistence. "You got a problem with my best friend, Leroy?"

Leroy clearly took the hint because he shook his head and hurried away after the elevator doors opened, eyes narrowed and hesitant when he locked eyes with Anusha. She froze, iron grip on mine and Tlato's arms almost cutting off our blood circulation.

Eventually, we made our way back to the main road and called up a taxi to get back to the bus station. Anu told us which bus to take this time. "Straight to Lycus through Merrillville. No detours, no shortcuts. Any other route is gonna take too long, and we can't risk staying in this town. Not with all these Rejuves swarming the place. I'll keep an eye out and vaporize anything that gets near us. Just make sure you take care of the route."

Tlatoany nodded, getting into the taxi before her so she could stay protected between me and him. I don't know why I still felt like she needed our safety, but she had crumbled into nothing back in the hotel room. She needed us to keep her away from the things that she feared. At the very least, we could do that for her. And at that very moment, it meant keeping her away from that city and away from that Leroy guy.

She said nothing on the ride to the bus station, too focused on her powers and keeping monsters at bay to try and think about speaking to the driver. Tlatoany and I shared some words with him, but we weren't too keen. It was getting really hard to trust adults these days. Well, in general.

Anu's grip on me didn't loosen by any means. It actually tightened for the duration of the drive. Her eyes stayed focused on Tlato, who offered a soft smile and kissed her temple. "Relax, hm?" he suggested with a pat to her shoulder. Inhaling quietly, she nodded, leaning into his shoulder. My smile was probably a bit too big because Anu gave me a weird look, but she grinned back and giggled. Oh, that was like music.

With us at her side, we knew she would be okay. And we would be too.

This was a big quest. It wasn't just bringing Izzy back to Camp Half-Blood. It was the total defense of the two biggest demigod safe havens in the country. The protection of hundreds of demigods, an entire civilization. It was the defense of Olympus from its own children and grandchildren. The reparation of centuries of broken bonds between the Sminthians and the rest of the demigods and the Olympians. It was undoing Anusha's entire ancestry and healing it.

So much responsibility, all on three teens' shoulders. It was a lot. But then, after thinking about all that, I looked at my best friends, my whole world, and I knew we would manage. We would be perfectly fine. I smiled at Tlatoany's safe, unhurried counsel. I adored his unwavering strength and nearly frightening intelligence. He would guide us through anything. I could trust him to lead us to victory without losses and dangerous shortcuts. And Anu? I trusted in her arrogant, protective rage. In her uncanny talent for learning even the most difficult skills in record speed. Her Apollonian will and fearless pride would bend even the gods to her whims. As long as I had them in my life, there was nothing we couldn't do. No goal too difficult to achieve.

"I love you."

Their eyes shot to me like I'd yelled fire in the middle of a waterpark. My face caught fire. Well, it felt like it did. They raised their eyebrows like perfect mirrors of one another, and Anu poked at my cheek curiously, smirking. "Hm? What was that, track star?" she probed. I groaned and put my face in my hands. Giggling, she leaned over and poked at me until I relented and repeated what I had blurted aloud before in a love-dazed haze. My eyes couldn't meet theirs, but I could feel their eyes on me. "I love you."

Anu only leaned closer and squeezed my shoulder, tears blanketing her vision. She pressed her face into my neck and murmured with a voice soft as air, and Tlato simultaneously whispered the same thing in my other ear. "I love you too." And Oh, I wanted to DIE. Kind of because of joy. But also because the taxi driver watched our whole thing, and that was embarrassing. Who KNOWS how stupid I looked at that moment?! Anu and Tlato can't be trusted to be objective about that. They'll say I looked cute or something dumb like that.

When we got out of the taxi, I paid the man in cash, smiling nervously. He just winked at me. "Love comes in all shapes and sizes, kiddo." My friends were not paying me or the driver any attention, instead excited to get on the bus and leave this horrid place. I gazed at the driver cautiously. "You don't need to know them in their entirety to love them. You can love a TV show without having watched the whole thing. And in that same way, love isn't just for parents and kids or lovers. It can be for friends, too." I flushed red and looked down.

"Why are you telling me this?"

He chuckled. "Lad, I've spent years regretting my past decisions. I never told my friends I loved them. Some knew and didn't need me to say anything. But others needed that reassurance. A lot of them have left me because of my silence or have died without hearing those words. Your friendships are not more or less than your romances. You're young. Not sure that you've had romances, but life changes. Just make sure that these two know you care for them. Words aren't enough. Actions mean far more. And if you can make them see with your words, actions, and expressions, I promise you, they'll know. They'll love you just as much."

I grinned, shaking his hand. "Thank you, sir." He winked at me, and the flash of his ring caught my eye. It wasn't a college ring or anything like that. No, it was the SPQR of Camp Jupiter. I leaned forward and spoke softly. "And sir? One more thing. If you ever want to tell those friends of yours that you love them, come by to CHB sometime. Nico di Angelo can help you with that," I promised with a wink. The driver laughed broadly, nodding.

"Mm. I might take you up on that, lad. Anyways, hurry along. Those friends of yours might be missing you," he teased.

Chortling to myself, I nodded and hurried over to my saviors while he drove away. Anu raised an eyebrow at me. "What did he say?"

I shrugged. "Nothing much. Just to make sure that you guys know I love you."

She hummed, nodding her head. "Makes sense. You should tell us that more often."

I raised an eyebrow at her, and Tlato pushed us along to the bus station. "Careful, doll. Your hubris is showing."

Anusha smirked weakly. "I would hope so. That's my whole thing."

Tlato grumbled, poking our heads. "Hey, keep moving, idiots. You know I love you both, so walk. Honestly, it's like I'm best friends with two human grandmothers. At least godly grandmothers are more active."

We wanted to be offended but couldn't argue with that. I mean, no one can win an argument against a guy who wants to be a law major.

Besides. We had more important things to worry about. Like two snake ladies standing right in front of the doors of the station, glaring deadly holes into our heads, giant swords swinging at their hips. They grinned at us, licking their lips.

One of them stepped forward and right into Anu's personal space. She snarled, sending a gust of hypertoxic, hyper-concentrated disease gas at her. Both monsters burst into dust like those sac fungi. The three of us sprinted into the station and got onto the bus as fast as we could, bags held on our laps. Delos curled around Anusha's middle, keeping quiet for his own safety. We held hands for our own sense of peace and security, and we finally asked our friend what made her break down in the hotel. Kind of to avoid the suspicion that we knew her story, but also to hear it from her own mouth.

"Anusha, you know we love you. And it's why we ask you now. What happened? Why did you react like that to the guy in the elevator? Why did you struggle in the hotel? What's going on, honey? Please tell us," I begged her.

Anu's eyes wetted, and she stared at the straps of her backpack, gold-toned brown hands digging into her bag. She didn't say anything for a few moments but responded when Tlato took her hand and watched her face cautiously. She didn't even meet our eyes, like she was too ashamed to even utter the words.

I squeezed her hand, and Anusha finally relented after her heartache became too much for her. Tears slipped out of her eyes, so she looked up at the ceiling. "That Leroy was the guy that assaulted me…" I didn't dare ask for any clarification. I didn't have any right to ask more details, but she specified anyway, maybe to make sure we understood her situation. "It, uh…it was the kind you're thinking of…" Anu kept crying, and neither Tlato nor I said anything. What the fuck would we have said, anyway?

But it was a good thing we didn't say anything. Because I was too busy planning that guy's murder.


End file.
